If you saw what I saw
by FireValkyrie
Summary: Harry Potter is seeing things. The only problem is, he knows that they're real. So why does everyone else think he's crazy? If only they could see what he's seeing...
1. Seeing

**Note from the author about annoying bullcrap:**

**This story was written waaaaaaay ages ago XD Please refrain from making what are, frankly, annoying remarks about certain spelling errors or whining about what year the story takes place. Seriously, it doesn't make a difference nor matter to the enjoyment of reading as this is an AU fic anyways (technically aren't all fics with differently surmised endings AU? This isn't a new concept and vagueness is actually common now when it wasn't nearly a decade ago :3). If you've got a problem with that, take a hike, you have better things to do with your time than reading fanfiction ;D Play robot unicorn attack or rack up a high time on leekspin :P  
**

**Yes, I AM aware of the proper names and titles of things within the Potterverse; Yes, I know proper spell names, how to spell them, and what they do; 8 years after writing this frankly I don't care about it. I don't have the time nor desire to go back and edit things I wrote fleetingly when I was 16 and just barely getting into the Potter world; I too have better uses of my time than editing a fic bordering on ancient O.O That said, it's a fun story. Go with the flow. The year it takes place doesn't matter (if it does, then i hereby say it take place in year 3...and 6...and 5...and 2...take your bloody pick), and if you've got such a huge problem with it that a spelling error here or there will ruin your entire experience, refrain from reading and don't waste either of our times with banal "reviews" about spelling. As a person who is currently studying their 5th language at this point in time and is fluent in the dead language of Latin (as in the language spoken in the Vatican Catholic church, and the language all the spells in the Potterverse originate from) i think i know my stuff quite well thanks ;) And I'd rather spend my time furthering my language studying in pursuit of a second Bachelor's Degree than edit what's going on a decade-old fic. Thank you and have fun ;D :3  
**

**Warning: **Unauthorized reposting is not tolerated. Harry Potter copyright respective owners. Storyline and Creativity herein copyright FireValkyrie: Miss T. Vaughn S. For archiving information and express permission to archive elsewhere, please contact me at horrormoviebufy at yahoo . com or slytherinsnakequeensupreme at yahoo . com. There is no acceptable excuse for unauthorized postings as I am quite reachable. If this story is found on any other site except fanfiction . net, please contact me. Thank you!

If You Saw What I Saw  
Chapter 1: Seeing.

sSs

"Did you hear what I said, Harry? HARRY!" Hermione's voice cut right through Harry's thoughts and brought him back to reality.

"What?"

"I said you're letting your potion simmer too long! It's turning yellow!"

Harry Potter, Hemione Granger, and Ron Weasley were sitting in potions class making the Migrean potion; a potion that would instantly cure very painful wizard headaches. It was quite appropriate too, as Hermione's scolds coupled with Snape's malicious remarks were quite enough to give anyone a headache. But as Harry had been caught up in his thoughts, it would be of little use to him now. It was turquoise blue and smelt like burnt rubber, an indication that he had let it sit for too long.

Harry quickly tried to fix it by adding more squid tentacles, but accomplished nothing by the time Snape swooped down upon him.

"Another day of wasted ingredients, Potter?" Snape sneered at him, looking distastefully at the ruined potion in Harry's cauldron. "That's another zero to add to your collection, Potter. Perhaps I should arrange for you to have a tutoring session with Mr. Malfoy?" Malfoy smirked at Harry from across the room, making this encounter even less than enjoyable. "At least he can make a decent Migrean potion." Harry leered at Snape as the Potions Master waved away the contents of his cauldron. "Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your inability to pay attention." Snape shot Harry another nasty look before going off to harass Neville ("You're not making soup here, Longbottom!").

Harry gathered up his things and got ready to go as the rest of the students put their labeled phials on Snape's desk. Hermione sat back down huffily in her chair. Harry turned to her, but before he could say anything, she rounded on him.

"Why weren't you paying attention to your potion, Harry? You should have been concentrating! We have a test coming up and I won't have you getting a zero with all the studying we've been doing!"

"I was concentrating! It's Snape!" Harry spat back. And it hadn't been fully a lie. Snape outright hated Harry. He had also been concentrating very hard; about something. More like daydreaming perhaps, but it didn't really matter. At any rate, Snape found fault with everything he did. "I don't need you to reprimand me!"

"Well don't expect me to let you copy my notes! And another thing-!"

"Greasy old git," Ron said fuming as he sat down. Hermione stopped her rant and looked at her fellow Gryffindor. "He told me I get only half credit because my potion is a little on the green side, and that I should be lucky I get even that! Then he took five points from Gryffindor because my label was upside down! I saw Goyle turn in a phial with black colored potion inside, and Snape took it! Without a word!" Ron was more uppity than ever after a potions lesson. He continued to mumble on the way to the Gryffindor common room, "...doubt Goyle can even spell...upside down label...bah!"

No one was ever in a good mood after potions class, except maybe the Slytherins, and Ron, of course, was no exception. But then again, they had had potions with the Slytherins twice this week, double potions today, and one more than they'd like to have had with Snape. It was very good that it was Friday.

Reaching the Gryffindor common room, they settled into comfy chairs by the fire and looked at one another with tired annoyance in their eyes.

"Whadda say we go to Hogsmeade this evening?" Ron asked the other two. Hermione was already busying herself with a copy of -Arithmancy Made Fun-, and Harry was concentrating on a stain on the wall that appeared to Ron to be a water spot. Ron stared at it too, trying to see what was so interesting about an old water spot that kept Harry Potter's attention so focused. "Let's go get butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks," he said still staring, "and I used my last Filibuster on Fred this morning. I could use a trip to Zonko's." His statement was greeted by silence and he was annoyed at not getting an answer from his friends. "Harry! Hermione!"

"What Ron?" Hermione asked exasperated, overlooking her book.

"Do you want to go into Hogsmeade or not?"

"We have work to do! You two still haven't gotten the hang of that heating charm, and Flitwick expects you to know it by Monday! We haven't got time to waste! How will you ever get to freezing things if you can't even heat them up? And do you think Snape is going to take it easy on us for our potions test?"

"Okay!" Ron said dejectedly. He knew he had a lot to do this weekend, but didn't feel particularly up to it at the moment. He wanted to get some fresh air...and perhaps a butterbeer or two. "But I can't concentrate knowing that Fred has a full arsenal of Filibusters with my name on it! Let's just go down to Hogsmeade for like an hour or so. That leaves the whole weekend for studying."

"I suppose. I am running low on ink. But if you don't promise to study hard this weekend, really hard, I'm not going to help either of you with your heating charms," she told him, then added as an afterthought "or let you copy my notes. Ever. Again."

Ron looked at Harry for agreement, who was still staring at the wall. "All right, Harry?"

"Hm?" Harry broke out of his trance and looked at the puzzled expression on Ron's face. "What?"

"Why do you keep doing that?" Ron answered Harry's question with a question.

"Doing what?"

"Staring at the bloody wall. We've been here for five minutes, and already Hermione's roped us into homework hell ("hey!"), and you're staring like a nutter at the wall! Am I that boring?"

"I was just..." Harry looked at the part of the Gryffindor common room he had been staring at, noting Ron's gaze following his. Ron was waiting for an answer. Harry dwelled for a moment, and then said "...thinking."

Ron quickly sobered up and forgot his anger. He lowered his voice. "Is it your scar?" Hermione leaned in confidentially. "Is You-Know-Who-?" Ron surveyed the common room before finishing his sentence, and eyed a group of second years suspiciously, who became flustered under his gaze and gathered up their things nervously.

"It's nothing like that, Ron," Harry said quickly. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, but continued to look Harry over like he was one of the books she was eager to study. "It's nothing at all."

"Harry, is anything wrong?"

"No...Just Snape's lessons," Harry told her. She still looked him over, but seemed satisfied with the answer. "That man thrives off torment!"

"Funny that the boy who single handedly defeated You-Know-Who would buckle under the pressure of our dear Professor Snape," George Weasley's voice came from behind Harry. They had just come down the stairs from the dormitories looking more than pleased with themselves.

"And how is ickle-Ronniekins?" Fred asked putting a hand on his younger brother. Ron shrank into the plush chair, wondering how Fred was going to pay him back for his firework wakeup call. And if he was going to be paid now. "Planning...anything?" He grinned and Ron sank even deeper into his chair, wishing he had never thrown that Filibuster onto a sleeping Fred Weasley, and wishing even more that he had been smart enough to run before Fred caught sight of him.

"Speaking of planning," George started, "Fred and I have arranged for a little after-dinner show, so to speak. Just so you know, it'll be held right outside Filch's office at eight-thirty sharp-"

"-so you might want to get front row seat while they're still available," Fred finished for his twin. He gave Ron a wink as they headed for the portrait hole. "See you at dinner!"

Harry didn't think it was possible, but Ron sank even lower into his seat, a look of dread on his face. It was even worse when Fred wouldn't tell him there was something in store for him.

"You know better than to go NEAR Filch's office when Fred and George pull that, Ron," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

But Ron was still dwelling on the fact that Fred had something planned for him and was soon to wreak havoc. "I'm doomed..." He looked at Harry for ideas, but Harry was again staring at the now non-existent spot on the wall.

"Hermione?" Harry was still staring at the spot, but something had him puzzled.

"Huh?" She looked up from her Arithmancy book.

"What do you know about shapeshifters?"


	2. Hearing

Alrighty then! Time for chapter two! Fun stuff people! Fun stuff! *Rons glares from the saftey of a corner* Well, -he's- still upset about the firework incident. Don't know why though...Fred doesn't even have any plans for revenge *gives Fred the thumbs up* Okay, since I forgot to do this in the first chapter, I would like to disclaim any of the characters or places and whatnot created by our dear JKR, and contrary to public opinion, I have *not* been keeping Sirius Black prisioner in my room, nor have I been building up an army of hostile grindylows *looks shifty eyed* okay, with that said, let's get to chapter two!  
  
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Lots of thanx to people who reviewed me, I luv u all! Tell me what u like, and what u hate. I'm terribly slow, so any suggestions are well appreciated to get me writing. *grins* Also, for any Harry Potter purists, I'm only human, so please don't lynch me if i get somethings wrong(hopefully I won't:)Will gratefully answer any questions or comments at end of chappie *gives you encouraging hug* Oh yeah, I have a pretty crappy Microsoft thingy, so that's why i can't use italics or bold or anything to make your life a little easier...also, i'm about the world's worst ton-o-writing-writer, so i try to get AT LEAST four pages of writing, sorry if there's not more:) alright, enough of that...  
  
Chapter 2- Hearing  
  
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" - Magnificent Molds- ; -Fantastic Forms- ; -Altering Appearances- ; -Shadow Spells for Spying- ; Oh! Here it is! -Shapeshifters and How to Recognize Them- . This should tell us everything!"  
  
Hermione, Harry, and Ron were in the library looking for information on shapeshifters. Harry had explained to them that lately he had been seeing things watching him out of the corner of his eye -different from the normal stares he got from his fellow students- and that when he turned to look at it, nothing was there. His only thoughts were of a possible shapeshifter following him; something that could easily hide from clear sight. Harry thought that maybe someone -a certain Slytherin- was playing a trick on him. Ron suggested jokingly that maybe Harry was finally starting to crack, but Harry hadn't laughed. "I saw something in Potions, and I saw something else in the common room," he'd said. Ron had certainly seen the common room water spot, but it hadn't appeared to be looking right back at him.   
  
"Don't worry, Harry," Ron told him conspiratorially. "I believe you."  
  
But Harry wasn't even sure if he wanted Ron to believe him. Did he even believe himself? One thing was for sure though; whatever he was seeing was stalking him.   
  
"Here it is!" Hermione exclaimed triumphantly. "I think you've been seeing an Oirek-"  
  
"I've been seeing vacuums?" Harry questioned. Hermione ignored him and Ron looked at Harry, puzzled.   
  
"-...or possibly even a Tridey-Sline. Did you happen to see three blue horns on the thing's neck or forehead?"  
  
"I told you, it just goes away whenever I look at it head on!"  
  
"Well I'm just trying to help, Harry!"  
  
Harry looked frustrated and confused. He didn't mean to snap at her, but he was certain that what he was seeing was not going to be simply found in one of Hermione's books.   
  
"I'm sorry..." Harry said dismayed, feeling sheepish.  
  
"It's alright, mate." Ron lazily leafed through a book called -Your Shadow and You-. "Maybe you're just tired. Fred-" he gulped suddenly, "-had me believing I was seeing pixies for three days...I was getting really paranoid. Turns out I was just sleepy. A good night's rest is all you need."   
  
"Probably," he agreed hopefully. "I mean, it's not like anything's happened -except my potion boiling over." He added with a wry smile, "But even Trelawney would've seen that tragedy coming."  
  
Ron laughed and Hermione gave a scowl that confirmed she still disapproved of Professor Trelawney and her methods of teaching. Ron shut his book with a loud boom. "I'm done here," his stomach grumbled, "and it's about time for dinner."  
  
Hermione closed her book defeatedly, looking like McGonagall had given her less than perfect marks on an essay. "Well, I can't find any creature capable of disappearing so quickly before you can get a good look at it, Harry; and no person can Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts grounds, so a human shapeshifter is out of the question."  
  
"It's probably nothing," Harry told her. Feeling his own stomach grumble, he stood up from the table.   
  
"Let's go eat something before we all start full on hallucinating," Ron said with a grin. "We can mull this over with a few jugs of pumpkin juice in us and then figure things out."  
  
"Ron-," Hermione started, but her stomach wouldn't let her finish. "Alright. Let's go, then."  
  
"Just how long have we been in here?"   
  
There were very few students left in the library now so close to dinner.   
  
***********  
  
"Here ya' go, Harry." A first year Hufflepuff, a muggle-born named Cynth Johns, leaned over the Gryffindor table and handed Harry his copy of -Quidditch Through the Ages-. "I understand it now. Kinda like muggle basketball." She was almost laying in his dinner plate to talk to him, and her hand reaching out to steady herself nearly knocked over his goblet.   
  
"You're welcome," Harry told her, trying to steady his goblet and keep the liquid inside from spilling all over. He quickly downed some so that there wouldn't be so much to spill should she dive right into his lap.   
  
"Maybe you should give Weasley a few Quidditch tips, Potter!" Draco Malfoy yelled from across the Slytherin table. Several Slytherins were grinning at him conspiratorially. "Not that it would help! They don't even have to try out! There's already more than enough of them to start their own team!" Pansy Parkinson looked as though she might bust something and Fred and George Weasley were shooting murder at Malfoy. "The Rust-head Weasels!"  
  
The Slytherin table erupted with laughter and it took both Harry and Hermione to keep Ron from beating the crap out of Malfoy right then and there.   
  
"Just ignore him, Ron," Hermione said, letting him go, but keeping an eye on Ron to make sure he wasn't still keen on murder. "He just wants to get you riled up and Gryffindor in trouble."   
  
"Yeah," Harry said, planning some sort of revenge he probably wouldn't get to carry out. "Malfoy's a git. Have a treacle tart." He handed one to Ron and took a sip from his goblet, eyeing Malfoy dangerously. The Slytherin looked back at him, strangely amused and kept whispering to Crabbe and Goyle, who's slow smiles made his mouth taste sour. He downed the rest of his pumpkin juice as Ron grabbed for another tart. "I'll see you back at the common room."  
  
"Do you feel alright?" Hermione's concerned voice caught him as he got up. "Are you ill?"   
  
"Just fine," he said. "I'm not hungry anymore."   
  
And truthfully, he wasn't. Four glasses of chilled pumpkin juice coupled with baked potatoes and sour cream; garden salad, crisps, and more than his share of dessert, topped off with a dish of Malfoy insults was enough to sate anyone's appetite.   
  
***********  
  
Harry was careful to take the path back to the common room that was furthest away from Filch's office, as he could hear the echoing of screeching Filibusters and several screaming students. He walked calmly back to Gryffindor Tower as he saw several frightened second years run past him, and then he was left alone to the swish-swish of his robes and thoughts.  
  
Just what -had- he been seeing lately? Was it actually possible that Ron was right, and he was just tired? He wasn't exactly feeling well rested. He hadn't been able to have restful sleep in a week, with all the extra Quidditch practice for the game against Slytherin coming, and all the extra study sessions he put in with Hermione. It was a wonder that he hadn't been seeing things sooner.   
  
He was approaching the Fat Lady's portrait and took off his glasses to rub his blurry eyes. Perhaps he was just sleepy...He put his glasses back as the fat lady was talking with her friend from the next portrait. He heard a swish-swish of robes behind him, and looked expectantly for either Ron or Hermione. There was nobody there.  
  
"Hello?" He got silence in return as he peered down the dark hallway. The Fat Lady looked decidedly interested in whatever was going on, and she and her friend watched him quietly.   
  
Harry caught something large out of the corner of his eye, and quickly did an about face, hearing the swish-swish of something other than robes behind him. He flailed out his arms as he turned, thinking that maybe someone other than himself got ahold of an invisibility cloak, and tried to grab his assailant. He was shocked when he felt his hand go through something very cold, and saw something very large retreating into the shadows with a determined swish-swish. He pulled his hand back to him in shock.   
  
"Alright there, Harry?"   
  
Harry jumped about five feet into the air as he turned and saw Nearly Headless Nick behind him. Nick looked decidedly pleased at having succeeding in frightening someone.   
  
"Sorry, Harry. Didn't mean to give you such a fright." The smile that played on the Gryffindor ghost's face told Harry otherwise.   
  
" 's okay," Harry told him. He considered that perhaps the cold he felt had been his flailing hand through Nick's transparent form. However, what it was he had actually seen had definitely not belonged to the pearly white Gryffindor ghost. "Actually, I was wondering...Actually, it sounds rather silly, but did you see anything just a moment ago?"  
  
"See anything?" Nick pondered a moment. "I've seen you, and you seemed distressed, my boy." Harry shrugged and looked down the corridor. Nick looked too, expectantly, but nothing happened.   
  
"I must be seeing things..." Harry took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. //Great,// he thought, //I'm crazy.//   
  
"Peeves is making a terrible racket downstairs," Nick told him. "Right outside Filch's office as a matter of fact. Throwing things all over the place, including students! Terrible mess down there." Harry grinned. "I came up to look for the Baron. He's the only one who can control Peeves. Have you seen him?"  
  
Harry smiled at the thought of Filch being harassed by Peeves and a load of Filibuster fireworks. "No," he said. Momentarily, he forgot the reason why he hadn't yet entered the common room. The Fat Lady and her friend were watching the two without interest and renewed their conversation.  
  
"I must be going now," Nearly Headless Nick told Harry. "There aren't many places the Baron would call his haunts." He bowed and was off through a wall before Harry had a chance to say goodbye.   
  
Harry walked up to the portrait of a harassed looking Fat Lady as he examined the corridor once more. What was that thing he had seen? And he not only saw it, but heard it as well. And he couldn't be sure, but he didn't think that whatever it was was friendly.   
  
"Well?! Are you going in or not?"  
  
Harry gave the Fat Lady the password and jumped through the portrait hole, only to see something that horrified him more than ever.  
  
***********  
  
How was that? Good, Bad, Crappy? Reviews please:) 


	3. Feeling

This shall be the chapter where I get to shamelessly use the words 'shwag-bag' and 'bag-o-shwag'. Rejoice people! This is by far the longest chapter for anything i've written. Damn, man. *looks exhausted* I hope you all like it so far. Your reviews are what have been keeping me going! I didn't know u liked it! *gives you a milkdud treat* I'm scared to disappoint! Tell me what you think!  
  
Chapter 3- Feeling  
  
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"NEVILLE!!"   
  
Harry had just jumped through the Gryffindor portrait hole to see Neville Longbottom kissing Ginny Weasley by the Gryffindor fire. Neville and Ginny both jumped up looking guilty. Neville was getting all hot and flustered under Harry's stunned gaze, and looked frightened of what Ron's best friend would do to him. Ginny just stared right back at Harry, who was openly gaping at them.   
  
"H-Harry! I can explain! I-! We-! Please don't tell Ron!" Neville stuttered with fright. Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry was at quite a loss for words. Neville looked as if someone told him he would be having nonstop potions with Snape all month.  
  
"We're going out," Ginny told Harry matter-of-factly. She took Neville's hand in her own. "We've been going out for two weeks, Harry." Neville just nodded his head in agreement and continued to look extremely troubled.   
  
Harry found his voice. "Two weeks? But-? Does Ron know?"  
  
"No, and I'd prefer if you didn't tell him. You know how he is, Harry."  
  
"I...keep this a secret from Ron?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
"Just pretend you never saw us."  
  
"I don't think I could do that even if I wanted to." He took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, as if trying to erase what he'd seen. "He'll find out Ginny. Just tell him."  
  
"Harry," she said, "I don't want Ron to know. He's a real nutter sometimes." She saw in Harry's eyes that there was something of agreement there. "Besides, Fred and George already know, and they don't care." If it was possible, Harry's face took on an all new level of surprise.   
  
"How do they know?"  
  
"Found us."  
  
"Where? When?"  
  
"L-last week i-in the Quidditch pitch," Neville piped up.  
  
"Well you're not that clever then, are you?" Harry was surprised Ginny would go with Neville in a place that was constantly frequented by her brothers. "Why didn't they tell Ron?"  
  
"Because I would have owled mum telling her some of the things *I've* seen *them* doing in the Quidditch pitch." Harry sat down as he was sure his legs refused to support both him and his hanging jaw. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't say anything. He didn't know his friends as well as he thought he did.   
  
"No, Harry, not...." Neville's voice trailed off as his cheeks became flustered once more. Ginny clarified what Neville was trying to explain.  
  
"Fireworks, Harry," Ginny plainly stated, "Fireworks, among other things. They've been developing their own Filibusters in the Quidditch pitch, and mum won't have any of it." Ginny seemed pleased with the blackmailing of her brothers. Neville looked close to fainting.  
  
Harry got up out of his chair and made his way to the boys' dormitories. Fireworks? That was it? "I'm going to bed." Harry found himself a little disappointed and even more exhausted after talking with Neville and Ginny. Well, actually, mostly Ginny.  
  
"You won't tell Ron, will ya, Harry?!" Neville's worried voice followed him up the stairs. Harry told himself as he entered his room that he would take Ginny's advice and pretend he never saw them for the sake of his dreams.   
  
***********  
  
Harry kept drifting in and out of sleep, dreaming of things he couldn't quite see but were all around him; always hearing the swish-swish noise; feeling the cold syrupy texture of the creature's skin...  
  
"Harry, you awake?" A whispered voice entered his dreams. "Harry? No? Goodnight, Harry."   
  
Ron exited the curtains of Harry's four-poster and carefully examined his own before deciding it was safe enough to sleep in. His breathing evened out after an hour as he had fallen asleep, dreaming of nothing but fireworks and revenge.   
  
Harry himself drifted back into a sleep of faceless, shapeless beings, and that certain cold feeling he got as if touching something from another plane of existence. He tossed and turned all night, trying to get a good look at these...things...  
  
***********  
  
Harry awoke late the next morning, having slept in from lack of dreamless sleep during the night. He missed breakfast in the Great Hall, and had Ron not awoken him on Hermione's order, a trip to Hogsmeade as well. Hermione scolded Ron for not waking Harry sooner, but from the looks of it, Ron hadn't gotten restful sleep either. He had let his friend sleep in out of common courtesy. Ron kept rubbing at his eyes and complaining that he was tired, but lunch in the Three Broomsticks followed by a trip to Zonko's Joke Shop shut Ron up for awhile.   
  
"Now I've got more than enough to counter anything Fred comes up with!" Ron looked in his Zonko's bag gleefully. Not only was it filled with loads of Filibusters, but also the wizarding equivalent of roman candles, and a box full of something called 'Biting Buzzers' with a moving illustration of a boy running away from a sparkling hive of what Harry could only assume were bumblebees.   
  
"Ron, I think you're being a bit silly," Hermione told him. "They aren't planning some sort of terrible revenge on you for anything. You're being paranoid"  
  
"You don't know Fred or George very well then, Hermione." He motioned to his bag o'shwag. "This is my only defense against them. Even Fred knows that."  
  
"My ears are burning," a voice belonging to the one-and-only Fred Weasley said coming out of Zonko's. George and Lee Jordan were following with their own shwag bags that made Ron's look pitiful in comparison.   
  
"Stocking up, ickle-Ronnie?" George pinched his brother's cheek as he looked through Ron's fireworks. "Ooo-ooh! We bought some of those just now too!" Upon further inspection "Ah! You got the last one! See Fred? We had to get the silvers..." He gave Ron back his bag and flashed a big grin at Harry. "Planning something great this time!"  
  
"Yeah," Fred said, giving Ron a grin that told him they were up to no good. He wished there was a chair he could sink into; or that he hadn't let them see what he was packing. "We got this idea from Lee to mix Filibusters with Whizzers-" he held up a big gray-blue box with a rabbit on top "- to come up with something we've cleverly called 'Wizard-Busters'!"  
  
"Oh it's gonna be great!"  
  
"They've figured out a way to make 'em home in on certain wizards and then explode right behind 'em," Lee told Harry proudly. Hermione looked displeased.  
  
"And who are the lucky wizards that test out this little creation of yours?" She half-glanced at Ron, who looked like he was personally going to wet himself.   
  
Fred gave Ron a considering glance, who let off an inaudible whimper, but then turned back to Hermione. "No one special...Got anyone in mind?"  
  
"You see, right now, they're at the developmental stage. They don't just give you a scare... They sort of...explode -on- you," George admitted to Hermione. Her eyes widened and she gave Ron a pitying glance. "But they work great on Slytherins!"  
  
"Run screamin' when they see what's after 'em. Loads of entertainment." Lee Jordan made a double take at some third year Slytherins coming out of the candy shop and elbowed George.  
  
"Gotta go," he said cheerfully and dragged his twin away as he waved goodbye to Ron.  
  
"Did you see what they've got?!" Ron did a one-eighty back into Zonko's for more heavy artillery as Hermione and Harry waited outside in silence.  
  
"Now that one's crazy, Harry," Hermione said after a while. She'd been brooding over everything Harry had told her just the previous day.   
  
"Hm?" Hermione pointed towards Ron through the glass of the store.   
  
"He's so paranoid of his own brothers that he's even having nightmares about Fred." She was reflecting on the horrible monologue he'd told them on their way to Hogsmeade. Ron was dashing from counter to counter in Zonko's as they watched. "See what happens when you obsess?"  
  
Harry nodded but didn't say anything. -He'd- been having dreams about those crazy whatever-you-call 'ems, but then he was sure that he was not being paranoid. //Or am I?//. He didn't tell Hermione or Ron about what happened outside the common room, or the fact that he had dreamed dreams as well. He'd definitely felt something outside the common room last night, and he was now positive that it hadn't been Nearly Headless Nick. He'd walked right through Nick accidentally on their way out of Hogwarts today, and it simply chilled him, but hadn't lingered as the syrupy-cold feeling had.   
  
"Hermione?" he started. "Do you think I'm crazy?"  
  
"What?! No Harry!" She gave him a look that implied he was crazy for asking. "Why?!"  
  
"I've...well...," He looked in Ron's direction as he was buying his goods.   
  
"What?" She looked in at Ron. "Are you dreaming things too?" The sullen look on his face told her she'd guessed correctly. " Harry, Ron's different."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, after today, I've decided that Ron may have something to fear from Fred, but then again, he's only his brother. But you've actually had dangerous things happen to you." She leaned in closer to him, "Like with You-Know-Who."  
  
"Okay, I've bought just about everything Fred and George had, plus a few special extras!" Ron grinned happily, but his grin faded seeing the look on Harry's face. "What?"  
  
"Harry's been having dreams about those creatures he's seeing."  
  
"Those creepy one's that are following me around. They're even invading my sleep!"  
  
"I know...I heard you," Ron said guiltily. "I...You were saying things in your sleep, Harry. Something about the cold, and eyes watching you. I thought maybe you were cold or something, or dropped your blankets, but you were just dreaming." Ron lowered his eyes like he had told a secret he shouldn't have.  
  
"Something happened to me last night, right outside the portrait hole," Harry told them. Ron looked sick and Hermione distressed. "Something was following me after dinner. I couldn't see it, but I heard it, and I felt it...freezing cold."  
  
"Harry! Why didn't you tell us this before? You could have been hurt!" Hermione cried out at him. Harry's mind went to the events he found taking place in the common room last night, and found he couldn't say.  
  
"I just went to bed."  
  
"But Harry, what if someone's trying to off you!"  
  
"RON!"  
  
"Well, it's happened before!"  
  
"Harry, what did it look like? You -must've- gotten a good look at it!"  
  
"Nothing! It looks exactly like nothing. I don't even think it has a shape or colors or anything! It's just cold. I...my hand went through it last night, I think. Right before I saw Nearly Headless Nick, I touched it and it went away."  
  
"Nick?"  
  
"Yeah. He was looking for the Bloody Baron."  
  
"Do you think-?"  
  
"No, Ron. Nick has nothing to do with this."  
  
"But he was there, right?"  
  
"A full second before it happened." Hermione looked hopeful, but he had to disappoint her. "He didn't see anything, Hermione. He must've been right behind me as it happened and he didn't see a thing!" Harry was getting extremely frustrated and was quickly losing his cool. "I MUST be crazy! How could a ghost not've even seen it?!"  
  
Hermione was thinking hard with all this new information, but Ron was sort of already mourning the momentary loss of sanity his friend was experiencing. "Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione shot Ron the dirtiest look she could muster. "Or better yet, Dumbledore."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
They started off in the direction of the Three Broomsticks so they could chat in privacy about what to do. Harry was very grateful to have both Ron and Hermione as his friends. Both were trustworthy and believed he wasn't crazy, at least to some extents.  
  
They sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks and ordered three butterbeers, but were quite dismayed to see a group of Slytherins in the corner of the bar. The three tried to remain inconspicuous, but as one Slytherin, at least a sixth year, approached the bar, he caught sight of them and whistled to his buddies as Madame Rosmerta took the butterbeers over to Harry's table. Harry paid her and nervously started to drink his under the judging gaze of the Slytherins. They pointed and laughed, drawing attention to themselves, but more so the three Gryffindors, and earned a scolding look from Madam Rosmerta. Harry, Hermione, and Ron tried to ignore them, quickly downing their butterbeers and leaving the bar before they could even have a private word.   
  
"Slimball Slytherins!" Ron yelled as they left the bar. The Slytherins just kept laughing and pointing at Harry, who received puzzled looks from a few Ravenclaws.   
  
"Do you think they know?" Hermione asked.  
  
"What? About me being crazy, or having a few bad dreams?" Harry said sarcastically. Like there really had to be a reason for Slytherins to hate him.  
  
"Can't sleep, Scar-Head?" Draco Malfoy's arrogant voice poisoned Harry's ears. Dammit! Why had he spoken so loud?  
  
"I was wondering the same thing about you, Draco," Harry replied to the Malfoy leaning against a shop wall. He looked like the cream filling in between a Crabbe and Goyle sandwich. "With a face like that, I don't think I would be able to stand looking in a mirror let alone sleeping." Ron was sniggering and Hermione was staring down an unpleased Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly.  
  
Malfoy looked highly affronted, but quickly hid it. "I've heard you call out for mummy at night , Potter. Is that true? However can -you- sleep knowing you're the reason she's not there?"   
  
Ron's eyes bugged out at that as he reached into his robes for his wand, and Hermione was trying to think of an adequate curse when Harry yelled "~Notte Creneas~!" Suddenly, Malfoy was as bald as a hairless cat.   
  
Ron was on the ground laughing as Malfoy was trying to cover his head and find his wand at the same time. "Even Trelawney would have to admit there's nothing to see in that crystal ball!" There were now a crowd of people watching, and Hermione felt they should leave. She grabbed Harry by the arm and Ron off the ground and they were making their way quickly through the crowd. Harry saw the shadows of creatures within the crowd, but ignored them as he was still fuming at Malfoy.   
  
A sudden and intense cold thoroughly covered Harry's body as he realised the shadowy creatures had suddenly engulfed him and his friends. And then he felt the curse hit him from behind.   
  
*********************************  
  
Ha ha ha!! That's the end of that chapter. I'm evil aren't i? Did you enjoy it? Was the scene at the beginning of the chapter what you expected? I thought it was a little weak. Truthfully, i was planning to have Harry see Neville all done up in women's clothing because he was under a *curse*, but i just couldn't write a transvestite Neville...we'll leave that up to Franky.   
  
Flame-the-Phoenix: thank you! I can't believe I'm actually exceptional! Hope I didn't disapoint you with the beginning:)  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Thanx for stickin' with me! You guys mean a lot *gives you a cookie*  
  
Thanx also to anyone else who's reviewed me! I couldn't do it without you! *cookies all around!* 


	4. The Full Moon

*comes in with a time-turner* I haven't done anything this summer, and it's time to fix that. *comes back in* that was fun...Tonight's a full moon! Yay! I just got my chapter title...  
  
Chapter 4- The Full Moon  
  
*********************************  
  
Harry woke up in the hospital wing of Hogwarts the next day. It was sunny, and he could hear birds happily chittering outside the window. He remembered being in Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione, shopping for fireworks...having a chance 'encounter' with Malfoy...feeling an intense, gelatinous cold all around him...and something else...  
  
"Urgh..."  
  
"Oh good, dear, you're awake," Madam Pomfrey's voice floated over to Harry from somewhere within the room. "I was wondering when you'd be up." Harry tried to sit up, but found he had a painful stinging in his back. He let out a hiss of pain and slumped back down. "You don't want to move just yet, dear." She walked over to Harry's bedside which had a vase of flowers, and a get well card on it along with some chocolate frogs, and felt his head. Seemingly satisfied, she left his bedside and disappeared behind a curtain.   
  
Harry looked around the room and saw Malfoy in a bed across from him, short at least a few hairs. A smile tugged at his face, and then he realized Malfoy was staring back at him. A very pissed off Malfoy, as a matter of fact. Madam Pomfrey made her way to Draco's bedside and handed him a glass and a steaming pitcher of blue potion. Malfoy looked at it distastefully and Madam Pomfrey gave a snort.  
  
"You'll not be leaving this room any time soon if you don't drink that down, Mr. Malfoy. Your burns won't go away on their own." He still snubbed it and turned on his side as Madam Pomfrey made her way back behind the curtain. Harry could see that Malfoy's back had bandages around it, and he wondered what had happened. //Probably something he deserved//.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had reappeared from behind the curtain with what seemed to be a shot glass and a phial of amber potion that looked most unappetizing. "You'll need to drink this throughout today, if not tomorrow, Mr. Potter." She poured a very minute amount of potion and helped him to drink it, as it still pained him to move his back. He almost spat it out, which did not seem to surprise Madam Pomfrey one bit. "That's why you'll be drinking it three times a day for two days. Taking it all at once would make you very ill indeed." She left the bottle on his bedside and retreated to her office.  
  
Harry just sat in bed for awhile, trying not to gag, and wondering what time it was. He had been trying to figure out what had happened to him in Hogsmeade. There was no doubt in his mind that it had been Malfoy's curse that hit him across his back, and seeing as how Ron nor Hermione were in any of the accompanying beds, he figured it was they who had brought him here. Malfoy stirred, glared once at Harry, and then turned back over. //Yup. Definitely a Malfoy curse//.  
  
His musings were cut short as Hermione came sweeping into the hospital wing, her robes making a swish-swish noise that made Harry's stomach lurch.  
  
"Hermione..."  
  
"Harry, how do you feel?" She sat on his bed and put her hand on his forehead as Madam Pomfrey had done earlier.   
  
"Alright, I guess." He winced as he tried to get into a sitting position, and Hermione took his arm to help him. "My back does sting a bit, though." He watched as Hermione shot Malfoy a dirty look that went wasted on his turned back. "I can't recall how it got that way, though." His words earned Malfoy another glare of hatred.  
  
"Malfoy," she said, her words dripping with venom. "He hexed you in Hogsmeade as we were leaving. Hit you with a striper curse." Harry got a mental picture of himself doing a striptease right in the center of Hogsmeade. "I didn't think even -he- knew about those."   
  
"But what exactly-?"  
  
"He tried to strip the skin right off your back, Harry." Hermione had put it almost too bluntly. Harry looked incredulous. Hermione mustered the most nasty, poisonous look she could as Malfoy turned and smirked at her. A new loathing for the Slytherin across from him replaced the one Harry reserved for the potions master as Malfoy turned back over and put a pillow over his head.  
  
"What happened to him?" Harry asked with utmost loathing.   
  
"Fred and George did," Ron said proudly. He came striding into the hospital wing like he'd just been named Quidditch captain. He looked more pleased than usual. That could have been attributed to the fact that his room was now booby-trapped against Fred and George, or that it was a Weasley who put a Malfoy in the hospital. "Fred let an untested Wizard-Buster loose on him. Worked even better than I'd thought! It was hilarious! You should've seen him, Harry! He was squealing like a baby hippogriff!" Ron then launched into an imitation of Malfoy's squeals. "Help! Help! Get it off!" Malfoy squirmed in his bed and Ron dared him to look their way. He just let out a snore, and Ron assumed, went to sleep. "What a git."  
  
Harry grinned and Ron helped himself to a chocolate frog. Hearing about Malfoy made Harry's back start to feel better. Either that or the potion Madam Pomfrey had given him.   
  
"You're not as hurt as I thought you'd be, Harry," Ron said with a mouth full of chocolate and a big brown smile.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey said that she thought you had a bad case of Batner Bog Rash," Hermione said. Harry could see the wheels turning in her head. "How -did- you only get minor injuries, Harry? You should be in St. Mungo's right now."  
  
"It's 'cause he's Harry Potter, that's why!" Ron decreed proudly. Malfoy stirred in his -most likely- feigned sleep. "You git!"  
  
Hermione ignored Ron's outburst. "You shouldn't even be awake, Harry."  
  
"Are you crazy, Hermione? Do you wish he was hurt?"  
  
"You know I don't, Ron!"  
  
"Well then," he made a motion to throw his chocolate wrapper at Malfoy, "what are you complaining about?!"  
  
"I'm not complaining!"  
  
Harry wondered if Madam Pomfrey would make his two bickering friends leave the hospital wing. He knew one way to shut them up.  
  
"It's weird, but I think I know why I'm not hurt," Harry started. "When we were in Hogsmeade...those...shadowy things totally surrounded us." Ron started to choke on chocolate frog and Hermione promptly hit him on the back, not wanting an interruption. "I felt that freezing cold all over. They were completely around us, right before the curse hit. They were covering you and Ron, too. Big shadowy lumps...with amber eyes."  
  
Ron looked at Harry, and then Hermione, who was looking back at him with an indeterminate look on her face.  
  
"Harry," she said, "-We- didn't see anything..."  
  
"Except when the curse hit you-"  
  
"RON!"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Can you possibly be more inconsiderate?!"  
  
"It's okay, 'Mione," Harry said.   
  
"But Harry..."  
  
"Look, I don't know what I've been seeing lately, or what's happening to me, and I know it sounds crazy, but...," he took a deep breath, "those...things...They must be real, right? I don't think they're out to get me."  
  
"Sounds to me like those things saved you, Harry," Ron said quickly.  
  
"But how is it that something we can neither see nor hear and is utterly non-existent to us able to save you, Harry?" Hermione's skepticism made Harry realize just how crazy it all sounded, and just how crazy he must seem. "What if it's You-Know-Who?"  
  
"He wants to kill Harry, not save him!" Ron realized what he'd just said and looked utterly shocked at himself. "Sorry mate..."  
  
"Look, this doesn't seem rational," Hermione said. "Why are you the only one who can see these things?"  
  
"He's not a nutter, Hermione!" Ron came to Harry's defense.  
  
"I know that, Ron!"  
  
"Madam Pomfrey is going to kick the both of you out," Harry told them. The speed at which they got silent unnerved him. In this he realized that he was causing them unneeded stress, and immediately felt guilty. "I'll go and see Dumbledore tomorrow morning..."  
  
"Harry, you're not crazy," Hermione told him guiltily.   
  
"And even if you are," Ron piped up, "you're still my best mate!"  
  
***********  
  
Ron and Hermione had been ushered out of the hospital wing by Madam Pomfrey an hour later, with Ron insisting that he stay and keep Harry company. He promised he'd personally go with Harry to see Dumbledore, and Hermione had promised that she'd visit Harry tomorrow before breakfast and lunch.  
  
With Madam Pomfrey's instructions, Harry took a dreamless sleeping draught and was told that when he woke up, he should take another shot of the amber potion. He complied readily, seeing those creepy cold blobs lurking around him and staring with amber eyes. He didn't want to deal with them until morning. Seeing Draco smirk at him as the sleeping potion took effect did less than nothing to calm him as he fell into the healing, restful sleep that he had been missing for weeks.  
  
***********  
  
Slowly, slowly, Harry's eyes opened in the middle of the night. He almost rolled over and went back to sleep when he remembered what Madam Pomfrey had told him, and sat up to take his potion.   
  
His back didn't bother him as much as it had earlier in the day, and he was able to pour the potion with only minor pain. He was very grateful for the full moonlight streaming in through the windows, aiding him in his pouring, and even more grateful that Malfoy seemed to be gone from the hospital wing altogether. His potion fizzed, and he quickly gulped it down, feeling it tickle his throat. Perhaps that was why he was able to suppress the gagging that usually went with taking this potion. That, or the fact that his bald roommate had vacated the premises.   
  
Harry put his shot glass on the nightstand and eased himself back down, surveying the room one last time. He rubbed at his eyes as they kept blurring up, and tried to see straight in the moonlight. Glasses on or off, his eyesight was tragically blurred, and it was annoying to not see straight. He rubbed his eyes, squinting and closing them, but they refused to focus. After splashing some water on his eyes from the flower vase, they focused and he could see. It was what he saw sitting on his bed in the full moonlight, looking down upon him with amber eyes that terrified him most.  
  
"Helllllloooooo....."  
  
*********************************  
  
Sorry 'bout that, but I had to stop there. Can't get into it just yet. I'll be gone for a few days(Vegas! Yeah!), but i'll update as soon as i get back. Promise! Thanx for stickin' with me. Tell me what you like or want to see, cuz i'm currently pullin' events outta my ass, so any suggestions will be noted =^..^= The plot bunnies were multiplying terribly, so me, Melianthefair, and undead_poet14 wrote a collaborative fanfic you can find on all our sites. It's just for fun, so don't kill me for sacrilege!   
  
~FireValkyrie 


	5. Explanations

Hey Hey! Had lots o' fun in Vegas. I got my first champagne, learned to shoot a handgun, and drive crazy all over the desert in less than 24 hours. Guess that time-turner is good for someting after all *grins* Yes. I'm trying to get this story finished for you, but I can't decide how long i want it to be, and with school coming up *ARGH* i'm frightened it won't get done. Hope not. Any suggestions of what you'd like to see would be great. Any criticism is well appreciated, because I can't get any better a writer without it *gives you the "it's all good" sign* Thanx to those whose threats and encouragement made this possible, and thanx for being so very patient. now, let's get down to it....  
  
Chapter 5- Explanations  
  
***********  
  
"Helllllloooooo....." The thing addressed Harry again. He was too frightened to move. "Helllllloooooo...?"   
  
"H-h-hi..." Harry was staring directly into the amber eyes of the shadowy creature hovering just slightly above his bed, and it in turn seemed to be staring right through him. That familiar cold seeped through Harry's blankets and chilled his very soul. Slowly, he looked to Madam Pomfrey's office for help, but couldn't see her anywhere. He pinched himself. No, it wasn't a dream. His eyes returned to the thing on his bed that was watching him intently. For a long time, neither moved nor said a word, and Harry hoped against hope that Madam Pomfrey would decide to make her rounds. She never did. Luckily for Harry, his Gryffindor courage soon found him and he spoke to the thing. "W-what are you?" The shadowy form moved closer to Harry, and he tensed up, anticipating an attack that never came.  
  
"We arrre the Dractnox." It stared at Harry and Harry stared at it. The thing had no mouth, so how had it spoken?  
  
"W-what are Dractnox?"  
  
It's voice came to Harry once more, if that's what you'd call what Harry heard. "We arrre the ssshadowssss of ssshadowssss; the left-overssss of warssss, dreamssss, and time. We arrre of the ssshadow realmsss. Dractnox." It stopped with it's explanation matter-of-factly, but Harry was still confused.   
  
"What do you want?"  
  
It looked into Harry again, and spoke from it's whole. "We don't waant anything."  
  
"But why are you here? Where are you from?" Harry asked, getting braver by the minute. "Why can only I see you?"  
  
"We arrre left-overssss. Thisss iss where we are. We arrre alwaaays everywhere."  
  
"Okay. But why can -I- see -you-?" Harry didn't like the riddles this creature, or Dractnox, as it said, was talking in.  
  
"We can seee you. There arrre not many like you who can seee us, Harry Potter." Harry's eyes grew large at the sound of his name.  
  
"H-how do you k-know my name?"  
  
"We know nothing and everything. You summoned usss to you, Harry Potter."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You entered our realm little by little. We arrre curious about you. There arrre not many."  
  
"Many...?"  
  
"Like you. They cannot see usss, and we arrre everywhere. You are like us; you can see us and speak to us. Not at first, noooo, but little by little you came, Harry Potter."   
  
"I never summoned you! I've never ever heard of you! I'm tired and I've been seeing things, that's all!"  
  
"That's usss. We were drawn towards you, entering our realm, bringing yours to usss."  
  
"I've done no such thing!!" Harry was getting desperately frustrated. He was scared of whatever was happening to him, and even more scared that he'd end up in a mental institution.  
  
"Many have."  
  
"What?"  
  
"There are many in your mental institutions. Some like you, who have seen." Harry was about to royally flip out. Did it just read his mind? Was it doing it now? He couldn't shut his mind up to this creature now that the realization hit him.  
  
"We do not hurt you, Harry Potter....We can only see...Yes, we saved you from the hex...You arrre here with usss and we arrre there with you and so it shall remain..."  
  
Harry spoke aloud. "Why me?"  
  
"Do you need something, dear?" Madam Pomfrey's voice came to Harry from a side curtain. "Do you feel alright?"  
  
"I-I'm fine. Just taking my potion..." It seemed to Harry to have been hours since he'd taken his potion, but Madam Pomfrey just nodded and went back to whatever she was doing. Harry heard the swish-swish of the Dractnox and watched as it retreated to the shadows. He still had questions that needed answering; to prove to himself and the rest that he was not crazy. "Wait..." he whispered after the thing.   
  
"Talking to yourself again, Potter?" Malfoy's whispered voice came to Harry. He was just creeping back into the hospital wing, and passed the Dractnox without any conscious notice of it being there.   
  
"Where have you been, Malfoy?" Harry noticed the smirk on Malfoy's face and the few patches of hair on his still balding head. Apparently it was harder for the hair to grow back than he thought. Harry noticed Malfoy staring at his bedside.  
  
"Taken your medicine I see, Potter."  
  
"What's it to you?" Harry's suspicion of Malfoy and foul-play on his part grew as the smirk on Malfoy's face turned to an all out grin. He wondered what Malfoy did to his potion.  
  
"Goodnight, Potter." Malfoy climbed silently back into his bed and Harry could hear him sniggering to himself. He'd probably be in here two more days for whatever Malfoy might've pulled.   
  
Stupid prick.  
  
***********  
  
"Okay dear, you've got a clean bill of health."  
  
"I'm free to go?"  
  
"Well it's not prison, dear." Harry wondered if she knew that he and Malfoy had injured one another, and if he were to be punished.  
  
"You mean there isn't anything wrong with me...like...anything extra?"  
  
"Does it seem like there is something wrong? I know I didn't miss anything."  
  
"Erm...well...no."  
  
"Well then get on with you! You're to stay in your dormitory until classes tomorrow and not to get ill all over again. You're only to go out for lunch and then dinner, understand? No classes."  
  
Harry agreed all too easily. She didn't need to tell him twice not to go to class. Although Hermione would probably throw a fit. Harry grinned at Malfoy who's pitcher of potion still sat by his bed. Harry mouthed 'nice hair' behind Madam Pomfrey's back and Malfoy stuck up a most undignified finger. Harry left the hospital wing smiling.  
  
It was still too early for lunch, and of course Hermione and Ron were in class. //Should I go see Dumbledore now?// He remembered that Ron had wanted to go with him, more for moral support than anything. But after last night, Harry decided to seek out Dumbledore on his own. Harry took a brisk walk to the Headmaster's office, wanting to get directly to the bottom of this. Dumbledore was one of the few Harry could fully trust with anything, even his life. He spotted several Dractnoxes floating about here and there, and heard the familiar swish-swish that they made, but none either spoke nor paid attention to him. He was grateful for that much at least. He wasn't sure what he would exactly do should one approach him in broad daylight.  
  
He arrived at the statue guarding Dumbledore's office, and realized he didn't know the password.  
  
"Sherbet lemon? Lemon drop? Candycane? Caramel corn?" //Hmmm...what other muggle confections are there?// "Candied Apple? Nutty Fudge?" //Aww screw it...// "Chocolate covered crickets?" He heard a rumbling and the staircase to Dumbledore's office started to move. //That man has some of the weirdest tastes I've ever heard of.// He hoped onto the rotating staircase and waited to reach Dumbledore's office.   
  
The staircase stopped moving and Harry approached the door.  
  
"You're not crazy, Harry," a familiar voice told him.  
  
"We'll see..." Harry replied mechanically. Then he realized what the voice belonged to, and whizzed around, facing a Dractnox. "What are you doing here?!" His heart was in his throat and he was shaking.   
  
"We felt that Harry Potter wasss in distress, so we came to him." The Dractnox's amber eyes were glowing eerily and for once, not staring directly into Harry's being.  
  
"Well I'm not in distress! But I may certainly be now!" He was wondering if The-Boy-Who-Lived was to die of a heart attack right then and there. //How ironic that would be.//  
  
"Harry, are you alright? I heard shouting." Dumbledore stood right behind Harry in his open doorway, and looked at the boy before him, eyes twinkling. "Come in, my boy."  
  
Harry entered the Headmaster's office and looked behind him as Albus closed the door. The Dractnox followed, right through the door itself. Harry forced his attention to Fawkes the phoenix, sitting on his perch looking a little worse for wear. He figured that the phoenix would burn up soon.   
  
"Is everything alright, Harry?" Dumbledore sat in his chair and motioned for Harry to do the same to the one opposite him. They both knew he was not talking about Harry being in the hospital wing, and Harry wondered if Dumbledore could read minds.  
  
"No, he cannot..." Harry looked behind him to see the Dractnox swish-swishing around the office. Dumbledore looked too, and Harry slowly turned to the Headmaster, trying to decide if he could see them.   
  
"Harry? Is there anything I can do for you?" Albus offered Harry some tea, and he took it, but didn't drink.  
  
"Actually..." he looked to the side of the Headmaster this time, "There's something I wanted to ask you...or...erm...talk to you about."   
  
Dumbledore gave Harry one of his most comforting looks, and Harry swallowed a big gulp of tea. "I-I've been seeing things lately, sir." He waited for Dumbledore to laugh at him, or even some indication that the Headmaster thought he was crazy. Dumbledore just watched him intently, and Harry continued. "There are these things, sir. These shadows." He thought he sounded like a little kid afraid of the dark or something. "I'm kind of confused..."  
  
"That's alright, Harry. Take your time." Albus poured Harry some more tea, and sat back in his chair.   
  
"Well...They, -the shadow creatures- I mean. They say they're called Dractnoxes..." A look of understanding went over Dumbledore's face, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. //Good. Dumbledore's at least heard of these things.// His eyes went to a corner of the room where a Dractnox was swish-swishing about. "I've been seeing them everywhere, Sir! No one else can! I think I'm going crazy!" To prove his point, he held up a finger and pointed to a table on Dumbledore's right. "There's one right there, Sir!"   
  
Harry was at his wits' end, and started to pant as Dumbledore got up and went to his side. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder that comforted him to no end, and he waited for Harry to calm down.   
  
"Harry, I want to show you something. It may help you to understand a bit more." Dumbledore left Harry's side and went to one of his great bookshelves, and pulled out a great yellow book that looked to Harry about a million years old. "This, Harry, is called the Book of Worlds. It pre-dates most wizarding texts by millennia and is, as far as my knowledge goes, the only copy left to date." He handed Harry the book, who wished he hadn't, as he was afraid he might damage the delicate thing. "It's quite durable, Harry. You will not break it."  
  
//He -must- be able to read minds,// Harry thought.  
  
"No...He saw you holding it ssso softly..."  
  
Harry jerked his head to look behind at the Dractnox floating there. He looked right into it's searching amber eyes and addressed it quite irately. "Could you please not sneak up on me like that?!"  
  
Dumbledore gave Harry and amused look, and Harry immediately apologized.  
  
"N-not you, Professor! The Dractnox...It keeps telling me things out of nowhere..."  
  
Dumbledore gave a slight chuckle and looked out of amused eyes. "What kinds of things does it tell you, my boy?"  
  
Harry was kind of reluctant to tell Dumbledore that he thought he was a mind reader. So he decided on something more general. "Well...it's like this, sir. Last night in the hospital wing, I was sort of wondering if I was going to end up in a mental institution of some sort, and...well...the Dractnox said that many have, and that I was not crazy. But...it was like it read my mind. When I'm wondering things sometimes, it answers my wonderings. Like tells me whatever it is I'm wondering."  
  
Dumbledore gave him a smile and motioned to the book Harry now held. "Turn to page three-hundred and fifty-seven, Harry." He did as he was told, and looking back at him from the page 357 was a moving illustration of the Dractnox.   
  
"That's it, Sir! That's it right there!" Harry pointed at it and looked up at Dumbledore frantically, who appeared to Harry very pleased with his findings.   
  
"Read the passage, my boy. It should explain a lot."  
  
Harry read to himself from the Book of Worlds:  
  
~Dractnox~ A creature living in the shadowe realms, theye are thee bi-products of spelles and as old as tyme itself. Theye are rarely, if ever, viewed withe the wizard eyes. Their shapes are indeterminate, as they are only as the shadowes of shadowes, and have molasses-like bodies. Theye are neither alive nor dead. Their amber eyes can see into the minds of most creatures, and thus are the great knowledge keepers of any plane of existence. Dractnox are able to communicate freely with those under the influence of the Midste potion, which is brewed during the time of the Violete Star when the Dractnox are most active. These shadowes can be manipulated by the ones who summon them through the training of kings, and have the ability to protect the summoner. Theye are unable to die as theye are not alive, and theye cannot be extracted from their world for any purposes. Dractnox simpley dwell between the worlds, existing everywhere and nowhere.   
  
Harry looked up from his reading, and saw both Dumbledore and the Dractnox watching him.   
  
"Sir? This still doesn't explain why I'm able to see these...creatures." Although he did have a better understanding of them now that he at least knew what they were, and that he was one-hundred percent not crazy.  
  
"Page five-hundred and seventy-three, Harry."  
  
Harry turned obediantly to page 573 and saw there something that looked similar to a recipe. It was indeed the exact instructions, ingredients, and definition of the Midst potion which had been in the previous entry. Harry excitedly read the passage that explained what the Midst potion exactly did:  
  
Midst Potion~ A moste potente potion for summoning the creatures Dractnox. Ingredients must be exact, and tyming to the moon. Substituting such ingredients as Ingo Beans results in permanent hallucinations and should not be brewed by anyone but the best. Used by Kings and thee moste powerful of sorcerers for spying during the tymes of war, the potion is not meant for simple muggles or other creatures. This potion must *not* be used more than three successive times, at which it becomes irreversible, and the wizard in question will constantly be under the influence of the Dractnox creatures. Thee antidote to this potion must be taken immediately after usage. Souls which do not properly heed to this warning must be especially careful, as execution of persons accused as spys or knowing too much has been widely practiced by over cautious kings.   
  
Harry's pale face looked to Dumbledore as he finished reading. He was quite speechless, and was wondering if there was still a cure to be found so many thousands of years later.   
  
"Yes...many were put to death that spoke to us, Harry potter." Harry's attention went away from Dumbledore to a little above the bookcase.   
  
"Harry?" Albus took the book out of Harry's hands and put it back to the shelf. "Anything you would like to tell me?"  
  
"S-Sir? I've never taken any potion like that. I've never even heard of it before today." Dumbledore gave him a calculating look, and Harry felt his insides quivering. Now what explanation was there for him to be seeing these Dractnoxes?  
  
"Well I don't need you to tell me that!" Harry shouted at the Dractnox. Dumbledore gave a questioning look Harry's way, and sat down in his chair.  
  
"What did it tell you?"  
  
"That you believed me..."  
  
Albus chuckled and offered Harry a lemon drop. "That I do, my boy."  
  
*********************************  
  
harrypotter-fan15: happy are we? Now we know what the heck those shadowy things are...you're on the right track *gives you a present for your cleverness*  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: shadow-shadows....heh heh heh...your threats mean a lot! And thanx! i did have fun!  
  
o Hell o Kitty o: Thank you soo much! I feel all warm and squishy inside...oh wait...i am. 


	6. Harry Questions the Dractnox

Do you realize that so far you've read over 10,466 words that i've written, not including what you're reading now? Wow man. You must be dedicated. *hugs you* thank you!   
  
Chapter-6 Harry Questions the Dractnox  
  
  
  
...or lovingly known as "Malfoy's Dirty Little Secret"  
  
*********************************  
  
Harry left Dumbledore's office later that afternoon. He had missed Hermione and Ron at lunch-time, as he had had his lunch with the headmaster in his office, and was now returning to his dormitory under both Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore's orders.  
  
His meeting with Dumbledore had certainly explained a lot. In summary, he wasn't crazy, these creatures were real, and as long as he kept it secret that he could see them, he would be safe. Dumbledore told him that it was quite an honor to see Dractnoxes, and that, as the Book of Worlds had said, only a handful of kings and the most powerful of sorcerers had ever communed with them. He also warned Harry that what he now possessed could put him into danger with the dark forces, and that he keep his new skill quiet.   
  
The problem was, Harry didn't want this 'new skill'. He never wanted it. There was no cure for the Midst potion thousands of years later, as Dumbledore had gravely told him that many of the ingredients didn't exist anywhere anymore. Harry had kept insisting that he had never taken such a potion, and therefore his cure lied not in an antidote, but somewhere else. And besides, how could he have taken a potion that only existed thousands of years ago? The Violete star, as Dumbledore told Harry, burnt out two-thousand years ago, and thus made it impossible for the potion to be brewed anytime past that.   
  
Harry's mind burned with questions as he hopped through the Gryffindor portrait hole and went up to his room. If these creatures really were only seen with a potion, then how had he ingested it? Where had it come from? Maybe he was seeing illusions? No. There was no spell that could do what these Dractnoxes could. No wizard had yet devised a spell for all-knowing. Merlin had been the only wizard ever reputed to have done such a thing, but of course, his secrets were never easily revealed.   
  
Harry let his mind come up with absurd methods of how this came about. He was dreaming...He was in a coma from a quidditch match and hadn't woken up yet. No, he would've dodged whatever could have hit him easily. Okay, he was dead. No, he couldn't be dead. That was just stupid. Okay, maybe Snape made him drink one of his potions in class, the antidote hadn't worked, and he was suffering after effects? No, Snape got rid of his potions lately, as they were 'sub-par'. Perhaps someone got a hold of a time-turner, went back two-thousand years, brought back a Midst potion, and slipped it into his drink when he wasn't looking? No. That was one of the most stupid ponderings he'd had about these things yet. After all, why go through so much trouble just to give him an edge against others? What a waste, right? Honestly, he probably was going bonkers. Maybe Voldemort had something to do with this...  
  
"No, no, Harry Potter..."  
  
"Shut up, will you?!" Harry yelled at the Dractnox as he flung himself onto his bed. He was frustrated more than anything. If seeing these Dractnoxes wasn't driving him crazy, hearing them out of nowhere was. Harry couldn't wait to get back to his friends. And Hermione. She would have a theory about all of this, if she didn't already. But he wouldn't be able to find out until dinner. Until then, he had a few hours to kill.  
  
***********  
  
"What else lives in the Forbidden Forest?"  
  
"There iss a lake deeper than any ocean, and darker than any night, where dwellsss the creature Magnioth, a great Mabnus he iss, with the tentacles tougher than dragon scales and blood which meltsss through any substance. He cannot be seen nor hisss lake found, and none esscape from the darknesss who so venture forth. In hisss cavern keepss Pandora's box."  
  
"A Mabnus? Pandora?"  
  
"Mabnus is a death creature, created by dark but a keeper of light. Mabnus' have been known as the protectorsss of human folly, and sooo do away with the foolish, like Pandora herssself."  
  
Harry's mind was spinning. This Dractnox was full of lots of information, but also great stories. Harry now knew more than enough about the Forbidden Forest to keep him out for his own good, and also enough to practically beg him to enter it. He'd been captivated for nearly two hours now, with tales of creatures that were and still are in the Forbidden Forest.   
  
"And what's at the bottom of the lake?"  
  
"There is no bottom to a Mabnus' lair."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Harry?" Ron poked his head into the dorm room, a smile on his face and the expectance of more than Harry himself in the room. "What's up?" Ron walked in, looked around. and shut the door. He sat on Harry's bed after throwing his books at the foot of his bed.  
  
"Nothing much. Madam Pomfrey says I can go back to classes tomorrow, and just out for dinner tonight." Harry looked Ron hard in the face, and noted the bags under his eyes, and the disarray of his hair. "Ron?"  
  
"Yeah, Harry?"  
  
"Have you been getting enough sleep?"  
  
"Yeah. Sure. Why do you ask?" He rubbed at his eyes. Ron always did have perfect timing.  
  
"No reason...Ummm...So where's Hermione?"  
  
"In the common rooom..." The Dractnox told Harry.  
  
"In the common room. She's waiting for us. Where were you at lunch? We went to the hospital wing, but you weren't there. Or in here."  
  
"I was with Dumbledore."  
  
"You went without me?" Harry looked guilty, and Ron immediately rebuked himself. "I mean, that's alright. What'd you find out?"  
  
"A lot, but I'd rather tell you when I have you and Hermione together. It'll be easier."  
  
"Okay, but let's get going to dinner. I'm starved!"  
  
"Dinner already?"  
  
"Yeah! What've you been doin' up here this whole time?"  
  
Harry smiled. "Umm...it's a long story..."  
  
***********  
  
Dinner passed much more slowly than Harry would've liked, as he was under more speculation than usual from the Slytherins, and he heard from Neville that several Gryffindors had heard him talking to himself in his room. Neville also said that he heard from some Hufflepuffs that Harry was going off his nut. By way of the rumor mills, Harry was positive all Slytherin house knew of his talking to 'himself' in Gryffindor tower, and by the triumphant smirks a newly-haired Malfoy was giving him, he only too appropriately guessed that Malfoy had something to do with the rumors...or possibly more.   
  
"So anyway," Harry said back in the common room, "there's only three options. One, I'm crazy. Two, I have some of that potion inside me. Or three, something completely different is altogether wrong with me. Although Dumbledore is pretty certain that I have some of that potion inside me."  
  
"Well, mate, at least you're not crazy. At least not more than we'd like," Ron said, giving him a friendly punch in the arm. Harry smiled and looked at looked at Hermione.  
  
"Well, what do you think about all this?"  
  
"I think I'm going to the library, Harry. If there is anything that can summon these things to you without that potion, then I'll find it." Hermione got up and gathered her things.  
  
"But it's almost curfew!"   
  
"That's all the time I need." And with that Hermione popped out of the portrait hole.   
  
"I think she's excited to research something for fun," Ron told Harry quippingly.  
  
"I wish..."  
  
"Look at it this way, Harry. Can't these things tell you anything you ask them?"  
  
"Well, yeah...but then I look like a loony for talking to myself."  
  
"Yeah, but ignore that part," he said grinning widely, "You can ask them -anything-, Harry. ANYTHING!"  
  
"Okay, Ron. I think we've covered that."  
  
"Well, why not ask what our potions final will be on?" Harry's face got one of the widest smiles Ron had ever seen. "Apparently you haven't thought of the advantages you now have, have you?"  
  
"It never crossed my mind...Not even once...Of course you know Hermione will kill you for ever suggesting that." "It'd be worth it just to have an edge over Snape for once. But you really haven't thought of that yet? I mean, think of all the spying you can do now! You can ask for any information and you'll get it!"  
  
"I suppose...But Dumbledore did warn me that what I now possess is dangerous. For me and anyone else..."  
  
"Like how?"  
  
"Well, tell me why haven't you been sleeping so well?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Ron, anyone can see by the bags under your eyes alone that you haven't been sleeping well. Are you worried about something? I'm just fine, you know."  
  
"No...nothing at all, I told you. Now you're acting like a nutter, Harry." Ron watched as Harry absentmindedly looked towards the Gryffindor fire.  
  
"Why is Ron not getting any sleep?" Harry questioned the Dractnox quietly.  
  
Ron looked from Harry to the fire. "You nutter!"  
  
"He isss afraid that hisss brotherss will attack him with fireworks as he sleeepsss..." Harry gave Ron a bemused look and Ron looked at Harry disdainfully.  
  
"What are you so happy about?" he said with disdain to match his face. Harry smiled and clasped a friendly hand on Ron's shoulder.  
  
"Fred and George are not out to get you, Ron." Harry stifled a giggle and dodged a well-aimed fist from Ron.  
  
"Oh shut up, Harry."  
  
"See? If I can ask them anything, then I can also delve into your secrets. Personally, I don't think Fred and George are worth losing sleep over, Ron," he dodged a smack on the head, "but besides that, if anyone finds out, they could make me use the info to their advantage. That's why Dumbledore said it's dangerous." They both knew what person Harry was referring to that would just -love- to use him against the forces of light.  
  
"Okay, so you don't use 'em in front of others. That's easy enough. Do you have to talk to these Dractnoxes out loud?" Ron was very glad that they were the only ones in the common room.   
  
"As far as I know...I mean, if I want to outright question them. But sometimes they answer questions I'm thinking about."  
  
"Well that settles it then. We'll just figure out a way for you to ask 'em stuff without saying it out loud, and everyone thinking you're a nutter. But for now, let's have a little fun." Ron grinned evilly. "Ask it if it's true that Malfoy sleeps with a teddy bear."  
  
***********  
  
After many laughs and an hour's worth of questioning, Harry and Ron knew about how Filch baby-talked Mrs. Norris ("You ssso pwecious") and how Malfoy used to play with something similar to a muggle barbie doll when he was a child ("Some tough son-of-a Death Eater!" Ron chortled) and to their utter horror, they discovered by accident that Pansy Parkinson wore furry purple underwear, during class and on her free time ("URGH!"). But of course, had they known they'd get such an answer, neither boy would have considered....ugh...  
  
"And just how large a stick does Snape have stuck up his butt?" Harry asked the Dractnox, laughing the whole time. Ron was laughing so hard that he emitted no sound.  
  
"Leave you alone for a little while only to find out that -this- is what boys talk about?" Hermione popped through the portrait hole looking annoyed.  
  
"H-h-ha-ha-ha-hi Hermione!" Ron erupted. He was on the floor, now laughing out loud with tears fully streaming down his face. "Y-y-you wouldn't -believe- the things we know!"  
  
Harry had his head between his knees and was trying to calm down and stop laughing long enough to find out if Hermione unearthed anything useful. "Find anything?" His voice was muffled, and as he sat back up, Hermione saw his red face.   
  
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I even had Madam Pince help me, and she said there was no information on such things, and to stop wasting her time! She even accused me of making it up! The nerve!" Hermione then went into one of her rare impressions of an educator and said in a cranky Pince-like voice, "I've never heard of Dracknos! I've spent enough time looking for imaginary things for first-years all day, and I don't need these Dracneys to top it off! Especially from someone your age!"   
  
Harry stopped laughing long ago, but Ron was still sniggering at her impression. Hermione returned her voice to it's normal pitch, and sat down in a comfy chair.   
  
"Honestly! She's never heard of them! She's a -librarian-!" Hermione shot daggers at Ron, who was still sniggering, and looked to Harry. "So what -have- you two been doing all this time? You didn't find anything out, did you?"  
  
"Actually," Ron started to snigger even more.  
  
"Not now, Ron," Harry told him. No one needed to relive Parkinson's panties...uhhh..."No, not really." Hermione looked at him skeptically. "I mean it. Well, we did find out a lot more about Malfoy than you'd ever wish to know...but other than that, no. I've just been asking questions, then relaying the answers to Ron."  
  
"Harry," Hermione said exasperated, "Why didn't you ask them about -themselves-?"  
  
A light went on in Harry's head. A rather bright light that hadn't been there before. //What an idiot I've been! I can get all my answers from them! How stupid! I can't believe I've never thought of it!// Harry gave Hermione a I'm-so-happy-I-could-kiss-you look, and then addressed the Dractnox floating above him.  
  
"I have a very important question this time. Maybe one of the most important I'll ever ask you. Exactly why am I able to see you, and how was it made possible?"  
  
*********************************  
  
12,780 words! Wowie! Okay, lot's o thanx to my reviewers! I feel so special! Sorry I had to end here, but I promise chapter 7 will be better! So, what did you think about Malfoy's dirty little secret? Eh? He likes barbies! Oh, and my disclaimer about that: I do not own barbie or anything to do with them! 


	7. Questions and Answers

School has started, but I promise I'll still update as soon as possible. I have pretty crappy parents, so it's hard for me to post. The more threats I get, the more frantically I write! Okay, with that said...  
  
Chapter 7- Questions and Answers  
  
*********************************  
  
Harry looked at the Dractnox above him with the utmost seriousness. "I have a very important question this time. Maybe one of the most important I'll ever ask you. Exactly why am I able to see you, and how was it made possible?"  
  
The Dractnox looked at Harry intensely with it's amber eyes, which took on a radiant glowing more than ever before. "Harry Potter injesssted the Midst potion, and can thuss ssspeak to usss properly."  
  
Harry's face screwed up in a frown. Considering that these things gave out information -correct and completely viable information- and that they didn't lie, then Harry must have taken the Midst potion...a potion that was no longer around or able to be made...so how was it possible?  
  
"What did it say, Harry?" Hermione's eager voice reached Harry's ear as he was starting to think that his time-turner query from earlier may be possible.  
  
"It...It said that I took the Midst potion..." Harry's frown took a confused turn. "But I never took it! I couldn't have."  
  
"Isn't that the potion from two-thousand years ago?" Ron asked. Hermione looked at Ron in disbelief in that he'd actually remembered details of something other than Chocolate Frog cards. "What? Hey, Hermione, I pay a great amount of attention to you guys, so don't look at me like that!"   
  
Hermione shrugged and moved forward in her seat. "Harry, ask it -how- you took it. Where, when, and otherwise."  
  
Harry nodded and looked back to the Dractnox. It was still watching him intently, and making the lightest swish-swish noise as it hovered. "How is it that I took the Midst potion? Exactly how?"  
  
"The one you call Draco Malfoy ssslipped it to you in your food in various forms and small quantities." Harry's mouth fell open in shock, but the Dractnox was not finished. "Once in your potionsss classs he put it into your cauldron and you inhaled the fumesss...Another he bribed a first year Hufflepuff to put it in your goblet of pummmpkin juice...Again in your hospital wing he poured the last of it into your healing potion for your baaack...The potion can easily be dissguised." The Dractnox stopped there, feeling it complied perfectly in answering Harry's question.  
  
Harry was quite pale now as this information began to sink in. One, Malfoy had put a potion -an extremely old and therefore had no cure potion- into Harry's food without him even noticing. That meant that if he wasn't careful, Voldemort himself could get away with much much worse. Two, Harry had taken it three times, and Dumbledore's Book of Worlds told him to never take it three times in succession without the antidote, or it was irreversible. So now he was stuck like this. And three, he had no clue how this would affect his life as a whole...What could taking such an old potion do to him internally? And what about when dealing with Voldemort?  
  
"Harry, what is it?" Hermione's concern filled voice reached Harry through his own shock. "What's wrong?"  
  
"It...The Dractnox told me...It told me that Malfoy gave it to me in my drink and potions...Already three times..."  
  
"So?"  
  
"RON!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
Harry explained to them exactly what the Dractnox told him, and, more for Ron's sake, what it now meant to his life as a whole. As he finished, they were quite crestfallen.   
  
"I'm sorry, Harry," Ron apologized for being insensitive. "I didn't realize that it meant you were stuck this way."  
  
"Ask if there's an antidote, Harry." Hermione wasn't ready to accept that he was stuck that way if he didn't want to be. Especially if Malfoy made him that way...dirty ferret...  
  
"There's no antidote now," Harry told them. The Dractnox had already answered his question as he had thought about it.   
  
"How did Malfoy get something that old, Harry? If he had that Midst potion, then why doesn't he also have an antidote?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment, and the Dractnox spoke to him, hypnotizing him with it's glowing amber eyes.  
  
"The Malfoy boy ssstole that potion from his father'sss secret ssstock. It had been passed down their line through many generations. He didn't know what it wasss, but knew that those who take it often hear voices, and arrre committed to your mental institutionsss. He sought to ousssst you from your peersss. He hasss no antidote. There is not one left in your world anywhere."  
  
Harry relayed the new facts to his friends rather despondently. No antidote meant that he was stuck like this. Forever. And all because Malfoy had wanted to play a stupid trick on him.  
  
"Dractnox...," Harry addressed the creature with a sort of sadness. "Did...Did Malfoy want to do this to me? I mean, of course he meant to, but I mean with these results...I mean, did he actually know I'd be stuck like this?" Hermione gave Harry a sad look, and Ron looked determined for revenge...And knowing about Malfoy, dolls, and teddy bears seemed awfully good leverage to start something.  
  
"The Malfoy boy intended to make you ssssick, and to make you crazy, but only temporarily...never to permanently harm you...He wantsss to put you out of the ssspotlight, but not permanently." The Dractnox added as a sort of after thought, "He'sss jealousss."  
  
Well what did you know? Malfoy was jealous of him. The little ferret didn't actually -want- the famous Harry Potter permanently harmed...well, harmed but not permanently...so that's not saying much on Malfoy's part anyway. He just wanted attention, so thus took out his frustrations on Harry? //Great. Sounds just like some sappy after-school special. And to think, the great son of a Death Eater is jealous of me? Ha! And pigs fly...//  
  
"Sssome dooo..."  
  
"It's an expression," Harry told the Dractnox.   
  
Hermione looked at him speculatively. "What is it, Harry?"  
  
"Oh...ummm...Malfoy's just been up to plotting against me...again..." Harry said it quite listlessly. Truthfully, he was just sick and tired of the games he and Malfoy constantly played. 'I hex you', 'you curse me', etc...There were bigger things in the world than him and Malfoy's little rivalry, and the Dark Lord was one of those things. If Malfoy wanted to play dirty, then fine. Harry would exact his revenge and that would be it. He wouldn't partake in childish games anymore, and he wasn't going to let the soddy little Slytherin get to him anymore. Never again.  
  
Now that he was stuck like this, which he had accepted rather quickly, he was going to use it to his advantage. It seemed that The-Boy-Who-Lived now had an edge against his enemies...namely Voldemort.  
  
"Harry? What are you going to do?" Hermione looked troubled with Harry's silence.  
  
"I'm going to do what I do best..."  
  
"And what's that?" Ron asked.  
  
"Adapt."  
  
**********  
  
The next day after classes Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the Gryffindor common room, trying to get an essay on the uses of Locknut Pods done. Harry kept pretending he was asking Ron questions -when he was really asking the Dractnox- and would then answer them as if he suddenly remembered. Ron thought this was a great game, not to mention a quicker way to 'research' things, and they were getting their essays finished just as fast as Hermione.  
  
"And what can the Locknut Pod shells be used for?" Harry seemingly asked Ron.  
  
"It was...They can be used for..." Ron just played along.  
  
"Locknut Pod shellsss can be used as an immediate poissson neutralizer when correctly sssponged onto an open wound." The Dractnox was incredibly helpful.  
  
"Oh yeah! You can use them to neutralize poison in open wounds!" Harry told Ron as if he had just remembered. Ron sniggered and continued writing on his paper.   
  
"That's technically cheating, Harry," Hermione admonished for the third time.  
  
"I'd like to see you prove it, Hermione!" Ron was having a blast with this new way of 'studying'. And he suspected that Hermione was jealous that they weren't asking her questions anymore.   
  
Hermione knew he had a point, and she couldn't prove that they were cheating, but it still annoyed her to no end. "Ron, I really don't think you or Harry are going to be able to do this when it comes to taking our tests. You're going to end up failing. And Harry, everyone -will- think you're crazy if you talk to yourself during classes."  
  
Harry saw her point, and decided to find out some way to ask the Dractnox questions without speaking aloud. It wasn't what Hermione would've wanted, or what she meant, but she had a major point: to utilize this new skill, he would need to keep it secret, and that meant no speaking aloud. But he'd take care of that aspect later.   
  
"Hermione, I think you're jealous of the Dractnox," Ron stated matter-of-factly.   
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Yup. It knows more than you'll ever know, and we're not asking you questions anymore, so I think you're jealous."  
  
"Ron, the day I'm jealous of something I can't even see is the day I change my name to Malfoy and dye my hair blonde."  
  
"So there's gonna be another Malfoy walking around the school, is there?" Ron laughed at what he thought was his own cleverness, and Hermione glared at him. She picked up her books and other work and with an indignant "hmph!" she went up to the girls' dormitories.   
  
"I think you crossed a line, Ron."  
  
"She knows I was only joking...I mean, it's only an essay. And besides, I'm sure she loves us not bothering her with our work."  
  
"I guess. But she has a point, Ron."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. We'll study up when the time comes. But we're just having some fun, right? It's neat getting any information we want."  
  
Harry merely nodded and put his essay and quill away. He suddenly had the urge to go and see Dumbledore.   
  
"Where ya goin', Harry?"   
  
"I have to see Dumbledore," he said. And went for the portrait hole as a Weasley popped through from the other side.   
  
"Alright, Harry?" Fred asked as Harry made his way through.  
  
"But what about the Locknut Pods?" Ron called after him. //Looks like he'll be apologizing to Hermione pretty soon if he wants help// Harry mused.  
  
"Hello ickle-Ronniekins!"  
  
The last thing Harry heard as he left the common room was Ron calling Harry for help against his elder brother.  
  
***********  
  
Harry passed countless doors, hallways, and students as he made his way to Dumbledore's office.   
  
//What am I doing?// he thought.   
  
"You arrre going to offer information."  
  
"Am I?" Harry asked aloud. He wasn't sure why the sudden need to see Dumbledore was so great, but he knew that it would sort somethings out.   
  
"Talking to yourself again, Scarhead?" Malfoy's voice reached Harry from somewhere behind him. He turned and saw Malfoy leaning against a wall, strangely without his cronies.  
  
"Where're your bodyguards today, Malfoy? Picking out a new teddy bear for you?" Harry saw something in Malfoy's face momentarily change before he could successfully hide it. He knew that he had hit a bull's eye with his remark.  
  
Malfoy ignored Harry's remark, even though it had inwardly peeved him. "You're so pathetic. Talking to yourself in the corridors, Potter. The whole school thinks you're going a bit crazy. That's not a good sign, Potter."  
  
"And you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you...~Sweetpea~?" Malfoy suddenly blanched under his already pale skin, and Harry was suddenly very grateful for the question-and-answer session with the Dractnox.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter." But it was obvious Malfoy did.  
  
"Just think about it, Malfoy." Harry turned to take his leave to Dumbledore's office. "Oh, and I suppose I should thank you for a few things, Sweetpea, but that'll come later. In full. I guarantee you."   
  
Harry went on his way, leaving a most shocked and appalled Malfoy in his midst. //That felt good.//  
  
He reached Dumbldore's office in no time, and asked the Dractnox for the password (which now happened to be crumb-cake). As the stone gargoyle moved out of place, Harry went up the steps and knocked on the Headmaster's office.   
  
"Professor Dumbledore, sir?" The door opened and Harry stepped inside. "Sir?" He saw Dumbledore speaking to someone hidden by the tall man's robes.   
  
"-and it's just for safety precautions. You understand, Severus." Dumbledore turned around to let Severus Snape pass him, and smiled as he caught sight of Harry. "Ah, Harry. Professor Snape was just leaving. Can I get you some tea?" Snape shot Harry a dirty look before he exited the Headmaster's office.   
  
"No thank you." Harry entered the room further, ignoring Snape, and then sat down in one of the comfy chairs.   
  
"What can I do for you, Harry?"  
  
"Sir, I've found out some things about...the Dractnoxes."  
  
"As I suspected you would, Harry." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled mischieviously and he summoned a tray of tea.   
  
"Sir, I know why I'm like I am now. As well as who made me this way."  
  
Dumbledore simply nodded and handed Harry a cup of tea, which he took absentmindedly. Harry couldn't decide exactly what he wanted to tell Dumbledore, and he was pretty sure he'd enjoy getting Malfoy into trouble, but it wasn't what he -wanted-. Harry wanted to use his new ability to the best of his being, and he wasn't sure if ratting on Malfoy was the way to do it.   
  
"It's difficult for me to explain everything that's happened in these short few days, and I thought maybe you could help me sort some things out." Harry was getting himself confused, and thought that maybe he shouldn't have come to see Dumbledore in the first place.   
  
"Well, Harry, I'm all ears," Albus said soothingly, and Harry doubted the old man was speaking figuratively.  
  
"Sir, I can ask them things. Like anything. It's how I found out that I was fed Midst potion...and who gave it to me..." Harry expected Dumbledore to ask him who gave it to him, but the old man remained silent and sipped his tea. Harry continued. "Professor Dumbledore, I guess the reason I came up here...well, actually I don't know why I came up here. I just got this sudden urge to see you, and...I guess what I'm saying is...since I have endless information at my whim," he felt a little arrogant for saying so, "I'd like to personally help find out where Voldemort's hiding place is."  
  
The finality of what Harry just said hit him like a ton of bricks. That was what he'd wanted all along, wasn't it? In all the excitement that had taken place over a few days, Harry must've thought it and put it in the back of his mind. Only now did it surface to him the power that he held...and this time he'd use it to his full extent.  
  
*********************************  
  
How was that? I know it's been over a week, but it's rather hard for me to post!! ARGH! Yeah, so what did you like? What did you hate? What should happen? Any inklings you've got are well welcomed! Threaten me for more. It usually helps! *gives you the 'go' sign*  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: I am the Cliffhanger Queen!! Muhuhahaha!! lol I'll try to update as soon as possible. I've been busy:)  
  
o Hell o Kitty o: Thank you very much! The teddy's name is Pinky.  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: Thanx so much! It feels great to make you smile! *gives you a cookie* I hope I'm funny:) 


	8. Meetings With Dumbledore

Okay, here it is! Chapter Eight! Hurray! Hope you enjoy everything! Tell me what you'd like to see.  
  
Chapter 8- Meetings with Dumbledore  
  
*********************************  
  
Dumbledore looked at Harry for a long time, but never lost the smile on his face or the twinkle in his eyes. So Harry wanted to help him, -everyone-, in the capture of Voldemort? Well it was no surprise. After what Voldemort had done to his parents, and thus his life, it was no wonder that he wanted revenge. And after Harry had learned exactly what the Dractnoxes could do for him, it was only a matter of time that he had come to see Dumbledore. The Dractnoxes were indeed all-knowing, and there were some rumors that they could even see into a possible future, but Albus wasn't sure if he could trust the information he could get from them. Harry was trying to be helpful, but any endeavor could cost many lives, and have many consequences. And it would be tough to catch Voldemort off guard. Surprise would be the only thing in their favor. And he always had Severus to spy for him, but he didn't want to risk the boy's life.  
  
//The end could be nearer than we had hoped,// Albus thought. //You could well be the key to unlocking Voldemort's secrets...but at what cost?//  
  
"Sir?" Harry spoke first out of curiosity, and then to break the silence. Dumbledore smiled and poured Harry some more tea, seeing his cup less than full.  
  
"Harry, I think you are right in your intentions. And for coming to see me when you did. But I wonder if this is really what you want?" Dumbledore quite knew that Harry would love to dish out some pay-back, but he didn't think the boy had thought things through properly.  
  
"Of course it is, Sir! I don't know why I didn't think of it before, like when I first found out, but, I mean, I could ask the Dractnox right now and tell you exactly where he's hiding!" Harry was getting a little excited by the fact that he could finally bring the one who murdered his parents down, and it was only out of respect for the man in front of him that he didn't ask away.   
  
"Harry, I have no doubt that you wish to help find Voldemort, but there would be consequences to your actions that I think you may want to consider before you commit to anything." Dumbledore didn't think Harry understood what consequences might sprout up in Harry's life if he revealed himself to be a seer of Dractnoxes. Should Voldemort ever find out what Harry was, then he might launch an all-out war against Harry himself...to capture him, torture him for information, kill him if he was feeling merciful...And Voldemort would use any means necessary to make Harry do whatever he wanted. With veritaserum, he could make Harry tell him true answers to Dractnox-related questions, and know if he lied. He could kidnap students, torture Harry's friends...It was a very delicate matter.   
  
"Sir...this -is- what I want. I have the means to get rid of him! We-we can stop him. Finally. Forever..." Harry couldn't understand why Dumbledore didn't want his help. He had power like no one else had: he could know the exact location of Voldemort's hideout. Why wasn't Dumbledore more eager? "Sir, I really want to bring him down," //and if you don't want my help, I'll ask the Dractnox and go for him myself//, "I was looking into a career as an Auror anyway, and he -must- be brought down. I'm not afraid of him. Now is as good a time as any."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him hard, and Harry wondered what he was thinking. //Don't tell me.// he made a mental note in case the Dractnox was picking up on what he was pondering again. Harry would risk everything he had to bring down Voldemort, and he couldn't comprehend why Dumbledore wouldn't ask him to tell him where Voldemort was.   
  
"Harry," Albus looked older and more tired to Harry than he had ever seen him before. He wondered why it was today that he was suddenly taking notice of such obvious things in his current life. "Do you realize what could happen if Voldemort finds out you are a Dractnox seer?"   
  
//Fine then, I'll hunt him down and kill him myself. It's either me or him//  
  
"It's a very dangerous road for one to travel, alone, Harry." Harry looked up at the man in front of him. He decided that Dumbledore could read minds, regardless of what the Dractnox told him. "And I know your Gryffindor nature would have you see this through, to the end, but I must advise that if you so choose to go through with this, you should allow me to thoroughly prepare you...for the worst."  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, I've never wanted anything this bad in my entire life. I have the chance to see him brought to justice, and I would see it done if possible. There's no time like the present, and the longer I have this ability, the better the chances could be for him to find out." He waited for Dumbledore to give him proper permission to tell the information he oh so badly wanted to let the powerful wizard before him know.   
  
"Harry...There will have to be conditions made. You must learn to fine-tune your new ability. There are things you must learn, proper skills and talents you wouldn't be familiar with until you undertake Auror training. Some that could keep you safe when need be..."  
  
"I want this, Sir."  
  
Dumbledore took a long sip of his tea, looking very old, but never losing the twinkle in his eyes. "Harry," he started more than a little resigned. "Can you tell me where exactly Voldemort is hiding?" Harry grinned and relayed the question the dark shadow behind him.  
  
***********  
  
Later that evening Harry and Dumbledore left his office to the Great Hall for dinner. They had had the house elves send up snacks as Harry relayed questions and information from the Dractnox to Dumbledore and back again. The hours passed like seconds as Harry could barely get the questions out fast enough for his liking. It's exciting knowing that you are taking part in changing the world.   
  
They had found the exact longitude and latitude of each of Voldemort's lairs, which he had in abundance, all over greater Britain and even in parts of France. He was currently in an underground hiding place, one he had been using for some time. As far as Harry was concerned, it was the perfect place and time to strike as Voldemort was, according to the Dractnox, "...feeling sssafe and protected againssst anything the wizarding world hasss to offer." They had poured over maps of Britain, and studied the location's strengths and weaknesses all evening. Dumbledore never questioned the answers Harry gave him, as they were all well within where Albus had suspected Voldemort was holding up. People had been passing in and out of his office all evening. Teachers like McGonagall and Snape had been called in almost immediately, and various members of the Order of Phoenix had been notified as the history of the Wizarding World was being changed forever in Albus Dumbledore's office. In a nutshell, Harry was anxious about what was to come.  
  
"Harry, I would like to see you again tomorrow afternoon, if you don't mind," Dumbledore said with a secretive wink as they reached the Great Hall. He had already made it clear that Harry could tell no one about what had transpired concerning Voldemort, for his saftey, and for the safety of others. It was a huge responsibility, but he had readily accepted.  
  
"Yes, Sir." And with that they separtated, Dumbledore heading for the teacher's table, and Harry taking his seat between Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. Harry grinned in thinking that his information was indeed helpful, and that Dumbledore found him useful in bringing down Voldemort.   
  
"Where have you been all evening, Harry? We were getting worried." Hermione had stopped eating her baked chicken and was watching him with relief. Ron, on the other hand, looked completely frazzled and exhausted from either worry for his well being, or worry from Fred's payback. Harry seriously doubted it was from the former.   
  
"I've been in Dumbledore's office," he said helping himself to some chicken. He shot Ron a concerned look, who was sort of staring off in to space. He wasn't sure if Ron had even noticed he was there. "Hermione," he whispered to her, "what's wrong with Ron? Did someone hex him?"  
  
She leaned over the table to peek at Ron, and then leaned back and whispered to Harry. "He found out that Ginny is going steady with Neville. He's been a wreck all evening." She took a drink from her goblet, and then leaned in closer to Harry. "He fainted when he saw them in the common room."  
  
"How did that happen?!" Harry's eyes were huge as saucers at his astonishment.  
  
"Well," Hermione started, leaning in conspiratorially, "we went looking for you after an hour or so after you left. When we couldn't find you, we went back to the common room, and Ginny and Neville were there on the couch. But honestly, I don't know why he fainted. They were only kissing, and Neville's a great guy. At least according to Ginny." She paused to take another drink of her juice and a bite of her green beans.  
  
"Wait a minute, you knew?" Harry was incredulous. "How come you never said anything?"  
  
"Ginny didn't want Ron knowing, and swore me to secrecy."  
  
"But why didn't you tell -me-? I can keep a secret." //Boy is that the truth//  
  
"She told me not to. And don't you rebuke me, Harry Potter. You knew about it too, apparently, and you didn't tell me, either." She returned to her abandoned chicken.  
  
//Okay, she definitely has a point. She always has a point.//  
  
"Ron?" Harry waited for a response. "Ron? Are you alright?"  
  
Ron turned his head in a sort of trance and looked at Harry with glazed, tired eyes. Harry was pretty sure that someone -did- hex Ron. Ron made a motion to say something, but only slightly opened his mouth and then shut it, producing no words. Harry studied Ron's tired face, and decided that he needed a sleeping potion. He'd ask Hermione to make one later, and judging by the lack of eaten food on Ron's plate, she'd easily comply.  
  
***********  
  
For the next few days, Harry met with Dumbledore over his information on Voldemort, and plans were being made for an incursion. And all the while this was going on, Harry could not tell Ron or Hermione anything except for where he went each afternoon. Lessons were going more smoothly than ever. In fact, Harry was getting better marks than usual -even in potions class- and after only three snide remarks, Malfoy had completely backed off Harry. He was even being halfway decent to him, at least as decent as a Malfoy could be. If it was possible, they were even civil to one another.   
  
Harry was having one of the best weeks of his life, if that was possible. He was communicating more and more with the Dractnoxes, being a part of the force that was going to bring down Voldemort, and as if it was a miracle, Draco Malfoy didn't even look at Harry wrong. Even Ron was acting his cheerful self again, like when he hadn't know about Ginny and Neville. Everything was going great in Harry's opinion.  
  
Eager as he was to help, Dumbledore'd had Harry take Saturday off, and so Harry was thus in the Gryffindor common room with Ron and Hermione, playing Gobstones with Ron as Hermione was deeply engrossed in a book called -Mind Over Matter-.  
  
"Go, Harry. You're about to get squirted, so I'd watch it if I were you!" Ron wasn't that good at Gobstones, but Harry was pre-occupied with his thoughts concerning the upcoming attack, and was thus squirted right in the face with an inky purplish substance.  
  
"GAAAH!" He spat the foul-tasting substance onto the common room floor, where it magically scrubbed itself away. Ron was laughing hysterically, and Hermione transfigured a piece of paper into a cloth for Harry to wipe off his face. "AH! It's everywhere! It's not coming off!"  
  
"Victory never tasted so sweet!" Ron laughed. "How does it taste to you Harry?"  
  
"Inky..."   
  
Ron laughed even more, and Harry caught his case of the giggles. It was pretty funny. Now he knew what Ron went through whenever he lost to Harry. Wizard chess was the only way Ron usually got Harry back, and it always resulted in Harry's chess pieces booing him.   
  
Through the ink on his glasses, Harry saw a blur jump through the common room door.  
  
"Harry! There you are!" Neville's shaky voice met Harry's ear.  
  
"Hello, Neville. What's up?"  
  
"You're wanted outside the common room..."  
  
"By who? Is it Dumbledore? Why didn't he just come in?"  
  
"It's not Dumbledore...It's S-Snape."  
  
"What does he want?"  
  
"I don't know, but I wouldn't keep him waiting if I were you." Neville wasn't sure which was worse: Being in the common room with Ginny's homicidal brother, or being outside with Snape. He quickly made his choice. "I'm not going back out there."  
  
Harry tried to wipe the ink off his face, but it wouldn't budge. //Oh well. It's not like he cares what I look like// He thought. //But he'll probably deduct me twenty house points...stupid bat//  
  
Harry jumped through the common room picture, and practically fell into Snape.  
  
***********  
  
Okay, so that's chapter 8. What did you think? reviews please.   
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: I love you! Thank you for reviewing! I always look forward to your reviews! 


	9. Pain and Practice

Okay guys, sorry it's taking me so long to update, but school is hectic and I'm a sorta slow typer. But yes, thank you for being so patient with me. You have been rewarded with an extra long chappie! Your reviews have really helped! Like seriously. Okay, now on with the next chapter!  
  
Chapter 9- Practice and Pain  
  
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"Oompf!" Harry bounced off of Snape and fell with a 'thud' on the floor in front of the Fat Lady. He probably could've cleared a bit more ink off of his glasses before coming out.  
  
"Oh dear! Are you alright?" The Fat Lady asked Harry with motherly concern. Harry tried to catch his breath, as he felt someone picking him up none-too-gently off the floor.  
  
"Watch where you're going, Potter!" Snape's cold voice rung in Harry's ear. Harry waited for a deduction of house points that frighteningly never came. "What is this you're covered in, Potter?!"  
  
"G-gobstone ink, sir." Why wasn't Snape deducting points?  
  
"There iss hope with you, Harry...Sssseverus Ssssnape knowsss you have information that can lead to the destruction of Voldemort. So there isss hope."  
  
Harry cocked his head at his potions teacher in a confused way. Snape had hope in him? He must be in a parallel universe or something. Things didn't add up. //Maybe I am dead, or I'm in St. Mungo's, in a coma and all this is my imagination...// What was going on here?  
  
Snape pointed his wand at Harry. //Oh Gods he's going to kill me!// "Scourgify!" Harry was clean and free of all the sticky ink, and he could see again. "You need lessons in hygiene, Potter." Okay, that was definitely a Snape thing to say. Maybe he wan't in St. Mungo's. "Follow me, Potter, and hurry up!" Snape was quickly striding away from the Gryffindor portrait hole with the Fat Lady scowling after him and making 'tsk-tsk' noises.   
  
Harry had to jog to keep up with Snape's striding pace. He wasn't sure he wanted to be wherever Snape was taking him, especially in such a hurry, but he was more afraid of what Snape would do to him if he fell behind.   
  
It took about two minutes for Harry to realize that they were on the way to Dumbledore's office. He breathed easier and didn't worry too much about the dark man he was following after so quickly. Snape wouldn't do anything in front of Dumbledore, or in front of anyone Dumbledore may have up there. He sufficiently calmed down enough to regain his composure by the time they were in front of Dumbledore's door. Harry noticed how quiet it seemed, and wondered where all the people he had seen the previous days were.  
  
"Go in, Potter."  
  
Harry was feeling brazen, if not a bit curious, in front of Dumbledore's office, and he gave Snape a quizzical look. Snape merely glared coldly back at him, practically forcing Harry into the office with his stare. Harry didn't need persuasion to enter the room.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, sir?"  
  
"Ah, Harry! Thank you so much for coming. Please come in. Have a seat," Dumbledore told him. He was fixing a pot of tea and motioned Harry to a comfy chair. "You too, Severus. No use skulking outside."   
  
Harry looked behind him unpleasantly as Snape entered the room in all his bat-like glory. He hadn't thought Snape would be present for whatever was going down. What was happening? Where were all the people that had been causing such commotion up here? Harry took a seat down in a chair as far away from another as possible. He wasn't willingly going to sit by his most loathed teacher.   
  
He was fortunate that Snape took a stand by one of Albus' many bookcases, frowning as usual.  
  
  
  
"Care for some tea, Harry?" Dumbledore handed Harry a cup of steaming, aromatic liquid, and he took an appreciative sip. "Severus?" Snape merely lessened his frown in reply. Dumbledore smiled, and poured himself a cup. He noticed that Harry appeared to be interested in a piece of dust floating somewhere behind him, and figured he was watching a Dractnox. "Do you know why I've summoned you here, Harry?"  
  
"For more information?" Harry saw the headmaster's eyes twinkle and wondered if he had guessed correctly. If so, where was everybody?  
  
"Actually, Harry, I wanted to speak to you about something more personal, concerning one of your schoolmates." Harry got a sinking feeling in his stomach, and took in some more tea to calm himself, which was doing a nice fine job. He gave Dumbledore an apprehensive look, and thoughts of endangering his friends entered his mind.   
  
Some of his fear must have shown on his face, as he realized Dumbledore was studying him very carefully. "Sir?"  
  
"Harry, it has come to my attention that certain students are..." Dumbledore glanced over at Snape, "...in danger." Harry folded his hands around his cup in an effort to steady his shaking hands. Ron. Hermione. Ginny. Neville...was this all his doing? Were they in danger?  
  
Dumbledore continued. "There has been news that Voldemort is accepting younger recruits -boys and girls your age- into his circle. Students here, as a matter of fact. Some of which we know all too well." His eyes flicked to Snape again, who seemed to be concentrating hard on Harry. "Many of these students will be forced to face Voldemort when their initiation time comes, and any with conflicting ideas will be killed on the spot. I have summoned you forth, Harry, because this majorly affects how our plans with your information will be carried out. The lives of your peers must be taken into account."   
  
//Okay, as long as Ron and Hermione are alright//  
  
"But what do you need me for, Professor Dumbledore?" Harry didn't quite understand what Dumbledore was asking of him, but was pretty sure his friends were safe as long as he complied.  
  
"Harry, you possess an amazing gift-"   
  
//Don't let Snape know! It's a secret!//  
  
"-and I want you to be prepared for what may be coming. There are certain skills I believe would be beneficial for you to learn, and I believe Professor Snape here to be the best person for the job."   
  
Harry looked at Snape, Snape glared at him, and inwardly Harry laughed at himself. The irony was cruel and icy, and he wondered what fate had in store for him.  
  
"There are a few things, Harry, that you can learn which will help you better understand and control your skills," Dumbledore told him. "But as always, I must implore upon you the consequences should Voldemort be notified of your new training."  
  
"Yes, sir. I understand."  
  
Dumbledore sipped his tea with a wide grin. Harry was always surprising him. He only hoped that Harry and Snape would be able to work together without killing each other.  
  
"You have one week. Then the initiation starts."   
  
***********  
  
Later that night, Harry left Snape's office having been informed of all the new skills he would be learning. He was more than tired, and felt that his brain would explode if he was told any more information.   
  
He was to learn Occlumency, so he could hide his true thoughts, and Dractnox answers, from Voldemort; Legilimency, in such a form in which he could speak with the Dractnoxes mentally, instead of out loud; and Egrilimency, so that he could protect himself from mental attacks, such as the Imperious Curse. It was the sort of skill Harry didn't feel he especially needed, but not wanting to argue with Snape, he just nodded and tried his best. He was very glad when the first session was over, and even more grateful that tomorrow was Sunday.   
  
So it was with a great sense of contentment that Harry walked the cool corridors back to the Gryffindor common room. Snape had even given him a note to be out of bed so late, and the sheer peculiarity of Snape's actions towards him had given Harry more than enough reason to respectfully partake in his new training.   
  
Bed was what Harry wanted. A good twelve hours of sleep and his four-poster in his dorm. He only hoped that Ron and Hermione didn't wait up for him. He was in no mood for questions.  
  
"What are you doing out of bed?" Draco Malfoy's voice came from somewhere behind Harry. Fate definitely had it in for him.   
  
"I'd like to ask you the same question." Harry really didn't feel like dealing with Malfoy now. He was tired, mentally and physically, and didn't want to play games with him.  
  
Malfoy stepped out of the shadows he had been lurking in, and looked Harry right in the eye. They stared at each other for a little while, before Harry spoke.  
  
"Where are you going, Malfoy?"   
  
"Not that it's any of your business, but I have an appointment with my father."  
  
"For what? At this time of night?"   
  
Harry saw something in Malfoy's eyes momentarily change, and then revert to his normal, Malfoy glare.   
  
"Nothing."   
  
Harry studied him for a while more. It didn't take questioning the Dractnox for Harry to realize what Malfoy's "appointment" was about. Malfoy would most likely be among the first recruits to enter Voldemort's new circle. The real question at hand was: did he want it?  
  
"Do you realize what you're doing, Draco?"  
  
Malfoy bristled at Harry for using his given name. He was also unnerved that Harry may know what he was doing.   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Harry was tired, and he didn't like these word games. "Just think for a moment about what you're doing. And what will happen, and do you even want it?" Harry turned to go, but hesitated and addressed Malfoy again. "You don't always have to live up to what everyone else expects." And he turned and left Malfoy there in the corridor. Whether he actually went to see his father, or if he stayed, Harry didn't know, and he didn't wish to find out.   
  
***********  
  
"Har-ry!"  
  
"Mmnnnnhmm..."  
  
"Get up! You're already half an hour late for Quidditch practice!"  
  
"Mm hmm?"  
  
"Wood is out in the pitch, having kittens!"  
  
"What?" Harry snapped up in bed to be face to face with flaming red hair. "What is it, Ron? What time is it?"  
  
"It's 5:30-"  
  
"In the morning?!"  
  
"-and Wood's been nothing but pure nutter! He's been hounding me to come up and get you!"  
  
"Practice? Now?" Harry was waking more and more as this sank in, and that's not saying much being as how he got less than five hours of sleep.  
  
"Yeah. I thought you knew. What time did you get in last night? Me and Hermione waited up for you, but you didn't show."  
  
"What are you guys jabbering about at this hour?"  
  
"Go back to sleep, Neville."  
  
"Mhmm..."  
  
"I got in past midnight..."  
  
"Doing what?"  
  
"Is there really practice? Now?"  
  
"Yeah, come on."  
  
***********  
  
Practice ended around eight a.m., at which time Harry was fully exhausted and starving. Wood let them leave "early" as he had called it, on account of the fact that Ron had saved every goal, and that Harry had made every snitch catch in less than ten minutes. As soon as they left, Harry headed straight for the common room, and Ron straight for the kitchens. Ron would bring up some food to Harry later, and Harry found himself very grateful to be friends with the brother of Fred and George Wesley. All he wanted in the whole wide world was food and sleep. Sleep and rest and food and even more sleep after that.  
  
Harry walked like a zombie through the portrait hole and into the common room. He was barely aware of the greetings he received from his fellow Gryffindors. It was only when Hermione grabbed him that he realized she was there.  
  
"Harry," she said putting her hand to his forehead, "are you feeling alright?"  
  
"I'm just a little tired. Wood had us up at 5:30 this morning, and practice just ended."  
  
"You should get some sleep, Harry."  
  
"I'll definitely do that."  
  
"When did you get back last night?"  
  
"Pretty late..."  
  
"Ron thought Snape ate you or something. He was really worried. What did he say?" Hermione mused to herself. "Oh yes. He said that 'Snape would drink your blood and leave behind a pale Potter husk'. He kept going on about how we had to rescue you while there was still some blood left." Harry smiled wanly at Ron's enthusiasm. It would have been very funny if he wasn't so tired.   
  
Hermione once again put her hand to his forehead and furrowed her brow. "Are you sure Snape didn't 'drink your blood'? You look pretty awful."  
  
"I'm very, very exhausted, Hermione."  
  
"What did you do last night? Where did you go?"  
  
Harry didn't want to lie to one of his best friends, but looking at a Dractnox over Hermione's shoulder, he also didn't want to put her life in danger. He would just keep it as general as possible.   
  
"I was working with Snape..."  
  
"Doing what exactly?"  
  
Harry cursed himself for believing that Hermione would just except his statement. "It's actually a pretty long story, and I'm really rather exhausted..."   
  
"Well get up to bed, Harry. Right now! I won't have you falling asleep during classes tomorrow! Don't even think I'll let you boys copy my notes so close to testing time!"  
  
Harry smiled at Hermione gratefully. He knew she saw right through him and that he didn't want to talk to her about where he had been. He also knew that she was aware that he could always ask the Dractnoxes questions, and that her threat wouldn't have been of much use. Afterall, she wanted them to get good marks. It was very decent of her not to press him for details about where he'd been, too. She hadn't needed to order him to bed either, but it was her concern for him that she had let him go. Overall, Harry appreciated just how smart Hermione really was.  
  
As he climbed to his dorm and into his bed, he considered himself very fortunate to have such great friends.   
  
***********  
  
"Hermione! Just tell me what plants are needed for the Laetus potion and I'll leave you alone!"  
  
"Ron!"  
  
Harry's thought's had scattered from his head as he heard Ron and Hermione bickering again. Studying in the afternoon shade by the lake didn't seem to make Hermione any less tense when it came to Ron and free answers.  
  
"Just one! Get me started!"  
  
"Catnip is one of them, Ron! Now get working!" Ron quickly wrote down the plant and then stared at his book for no less than five minutes before he started to bug Hermione again. He had given up on asking Harry for questions when he had explained that he couldn't do that anymore lest someone should find out. Hermione had to suffer Ron's questions all by herself once more. "No, Ron! If you would just read the page, you would find it underneath 'Jasmine Seed'."  
  
Harry simply looked out over the blue water of the lake. He tuned them out, hearing only ever so often a "Ron!" or "Hermione!" He averted his attention to the rippling water and could see the Hogwarts squid doing laps beneath the surface. It made his eyes droop and utter calm washed over his body. He lazily watched as Dractnoxes floated about minding their own business, the way they always did until harry questioned them. Then it was as if he were dealing with a collective whole; a chilly, gelatinous whole, but nonetheless, an interesting creature.  
  
He pondered over his trainings with Snape. The man was ruthless when it came to teaching him his new skills, but Harry knew that if -he- didn't push himself hard, he might seriously endanger the ones he thought of as friends and family. It was only Tuesday, and, although exhausted, Harry was able to relay short questions to the Dractnoxes through his mind, and he had been successful in protecting himself from Snape's legilimens. He knew these were no mere games he was playing. Snape had attempted to make Harry reveal whatever he wanted by mentally attacking him with a spell called 'Mendacio'. It made Harry believe he was in a safe and happy place, with his friends and family, sort of like a dream. Harry was just about to tell his mum and dad something rather personal when he had 'woke up' from the lie that Snape had painted. Harry had thought at the time that it was very cruel, and had yelled at Snape for bringing his mum and dad into his training. Snape had let Harry yell, and then said right back that nothing would stop Voldemort from using such a remedial spell.   
  
//And he's right. He's a mean old git, but he's right. They use that spell on prisoners all the time.//  
  
Harry smiled to himself. Hermione would be proud that he remembered something from Binns' history class. He felt truly serene and calm out in the sunlight, by the glistening blue water, with his two best friends, and the world at his fingertips.   
  
He got a funny tingling sensation from everything so calm around him. The sensation manifested itself as a sudden tingle on his forehead. He rubbed at it, and it burst into a blinding, searing, white-hot agony. He grasped his forehead and screamed in excruciating pain.   
  
//Oh my God...I'm dying...//  
  
*********************************  
  
Ha ha ha! The Cliffhanger Queen strikes again! Was that a litle too over-dramatic? Did you get my little joke in the part where Harry was going to get Snape as his trainer? I am Fate. Ha ha ha ha! Okay, lame, I know.   
  
Thank you to all my reviewers so far! I love and treasure you all! *hands out free cookies and punch* Hey, I'm not made of money, ya know? Cookies and Punch is all I could afford! Okay, well, just tell me what u thought, like if it was crappy, or anything, and hopefully my treats will get better! 


	10. Hospitals and Fan Clubs

Wow! reviews so quickly! Okay, Forget my idle chatter...Here's-  
  
Chapter 10- Hospitals and Fan Clubs  
  
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"Quickly! Move him onto the cot! Mr. Weasley, please! You aren't helping!"  
  
Harry could barely hear through the blinding agony that was his head. The pain kept growing worse and worse until it was the only thing he could sense. He couldn't even tell if he was still screaming or not.  
  
"Miss Granger, run and fetch the headmaster! Immediately!"   
  
Hermione ran out of the room at full speed. Ron was trying to help Madam Pomfrey, but was only causing more chaos due to Harry's screams. Lucky thing that the hospital wing had silence wards all around it.   
  
"Mr. Potter?!? Can you hear me?! Harry!?" Madame Pomfrey tried to get through to Harry, but all he did was clutch his forehead and scream in pain. He would open his eyes now and then, but only snap them shut again from the agony he was trying to withstand.  
  
"Help him Madam Pomfrey! Please!" Ron's choked voice pleaded to her. He was in a terrible state. One minute they had all been studying peacefully by the lake, another Harry seemed to be under crucio, and there was nothing he could do for his friend. He and Hermione had flown Harry to the hospital wing (Hermione transfigured a branch into a broom) not without much difficulty, and he had almost been to tears with worry. Even in the hospital wing, there was nothing he could do for his friend.   
  
Madam Pomfrey tried to administer potions to Harry, but he was thrashing and screaming so that she couldn't get him to ingest them. She took her wand and waved it over him, causing the screaming to stop, and his body to go limp. Harry, however, was not asleep, nor was he petrified. Madam Pomfrey had tried a spell to relieve the pain, but as she watched his hand remove itself from his forehead, and give her eyes access to his, she saw a most alarming thing.   
  
Harry's eyes were open, and he was indeed looking around, but what he was seeing, she couldn't comprehend. He didn't seem aware of where he was. His eyes were moving all about like he was watching some non-existent muggle television, and seeing things that were not there. It frightened her, and she tried to get some sign of consciousness from him. Some sign that he was no longer in pain.  
  
"Harry! Please, answer me! Harry, dear." She put her hand on his forehead, and withdrew it as his scar burned her hand. She looked at her burnt flesh, and watched as it slowly disappeared. Never before had she seen anything like this that was happening to him. His screaming had stopped, but his scar still burned. He was still in pain. Silent, excruciating pain.  
  
She went behind one of her many curtains, looking for a basin of water and grabbing potions haphazardly out of her cupboard, when she heard Ron Weasley's terrified voice.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey! His scar! I-it's bleeding!"  
  
She rushed out with great alarm to Harry's bedside. He scar was actually bleeding. White-hot and bleeding. She panicked, and only hoped Albus would get there quickly.   
  
A single drop of blood dripped from the bottom of his scar and settled in his eyebrow. She reached out to press a potion soaked cloth to Harry's forehead, only to have her hand stopped by one much older.   
  
"I do not think it wise, Poppy."  
  
"Albus! Thank the Gods!"  
  
"Miss Granger has told me everything that has happened. But she did not mention this." He motioned to the now bloody scar on Harry's head.   
  
"His scar just started to bleed, Sir! And he won't answer to us! His eyes, Sir! Look at his eyes!" Ron was getting more and more emotional by the second, and all he wanted was for someone to fix whatever was wrong with Harry."  
  
Dumbledore leant over Harry, and looked the boy in the eyes. He saw the pain that was still inflicting itself upon Harry's being. Never once did Harry stare back at him, but Dumbledore saw something of recognition in his eyes.  
  
"If you will please go to my office, Mr. Weasley, you will find Miss Granger waiting for you there..."  
  
"Can you help him?!"  
  
"I will do my best, but it would help me more if you waited for me in my office."  
  
Ron didn't want to leave his best friend in this state, but the look in Dumbledore's eyes told him he'd better not stay. He forced himself to run from the hospital wing, because had he walked, he wouldn't have made it to the door. A loud slamming told Dumbledore that they were alone.  
  
"What do you think, Poppy?"  
  
"I don't know, Albus. I've never seen anything like this before. He's silent, but he's still screaming inside. His scar actually burned my hand." She showed it to Dumbledore, but it was nothing more than a memory. "What does this mean?"  
  
"I am not sure, Poppy."  
  
"Do you think it has anything to do with You-Know-Who?" She saw something dark in his eyes, but he said nothing of it.  
  
"I am not sure. But I will get to the bottom of this. Would you please leave the wing, Poppy?"  
  
"Leave?! I can't just leave a patient! I must try to help him, Albus! Let me stay!"  
  
"There is nothing you can do, Poppy. I must insist that you go, and please, do not come back in until I go out."   
  
His voice was very serious and determined. She looked hard into his eyes before she left, and found a rather large group of students congregating around the hospital-wing doors. It hadn't dawned on her that Harry's screams would have brought a crowd to the hospital wing.   
  
"What are you all doing here?" Her words were followed by the somewhat muffled screams of Harry Potter. Albus had taken off the spell she had put on Harry. She decided that the silence wards needed to be stronger as his screams rang out. "Get off to your dormitories at once! This is a hospital!" Nobody moved. She was surprised that they had been smart enough not to enter. Either too smart, or too scared.  
  
"What's happening, Ma'am?" Seamus Finnegan's apprehensive voice asked.  
  
"Yeah," Fred Weasley came running up from down the hall. "What's wrong with him?!" He was out of breath, and his face was the color of his hair. He was surprisingly without his twin. She guessed that he had just come from Dumbledore's office.  
  
Another scream came through the walls, and she moved to run in, but remembered Albus' request that she not enter. She surveyed the worried faces of the students. Most were Gryffindor, but there were also a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in the mix. What unnerved her was that she saw a certain platinum-haired Slytherin leaning against the wall with two cronies. Regardless, all seemed concerned, and more than a few looked very curious.   
  
"What's wrong with Harry?! What's happening in there?!" Fred was getting incredibly anxious. He told Ron that he would be back with any news, and had left his twin with their younger brother. He made a move to enter the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey blocked his way. "Tell me what's wrong, or I'm going to find out myself."  
  
"We don't know..."  
  
"Well, what happened?! Was he hexed?! Was he hurt?!" Fred looked about the crowd. "Will someone tell me what's going on?!" He was getting angry, for himself, and for his little brother, and he wanted answers. His eyes came to rest on the three Slytherins that were uncharacteristically out of place. His brain told him two things, one of which he dismissed. The Slytherins were concerned for Harry, or they had some part in it. He charged straight for Malfoy and pinned him up against the wall. "You had something to do with it! didn't you?!" He shook him once. Hard. Malfoy was too shocked to say anything. "You did this to Harry! Haven't you?! Why?!" Fred felt himself being lifted off of Malfoy, and scolded himself for not landing a few punches while he had the chance.   
  
"Mr. Weasley, please control yourself!" Madam Pomfrey had him with her wand, and levitated him to the opposite side of the room. "I'm going to put you down, and if you choose to start something, you will receive detention." She set him down, and glared at him before looking at Malfoy. He was gone, but his cronies still lurked about.   
  
The students seemed very nervous, and only then did she realize how quiet it was. She put her head to the door to listen, and it was then that she heard a blood-curdling scream. She wrenched open the door to reveal a brilliant white light which filled the hall, and ran in, ignoring her own well-being.  
  
***********  
  
~"Do not come back in until I go out."~  
  
Albus watched as Poppy reluctantly left the room. He thought it best that she not be in the room, for he feared that he may have little choice in how to best help Harry.   
  
Dumbledore bent over Harry, and looked him in the eyes. They were still unfocused, but searching, and he still seemed in a great amount of pain.  
  
"Harry? Can you hear me, my boy?" He waited for some sign, and saw that same recognition in Harry's eyes. "I'm going to remove Madam Pomfrey's spell from you, Harry. Please try to concentrate on my voice." Albus knew it would be extra painful for him to take off a pain-relieving spell, but in order to reach Harry's mind, he had to, and fast.   
  
To the untrained eye, Harry would seem to be minorly discomforted, and maybe dazed. But Dumbledore knew by Harry's searching eyes that he was far from minor pain. The bleeding lightening scar on Harry's forehead told him all too much of the pain inside the boy's mind. If Dumbledore didn't relieve the mental agony he was going through, it would all be over for Harry.   
  
"Listen to my voice." Dumbledore hovered his hand over Harry's forehead and concentrated. He could feel the heat of the scar only inches away, and saw the blood that was slowly dripping down his head. "Just listen, Harry." Dumbledore mumbled 'relinquo' and Harry let out an ear-piercing scream. He immediately grabbed for his forehead, but Dumbledore stopped him. "Harry! Listen to me! Hear my voice!" Harry thrashed for control of his hand.   
  
//What is this that has me?! It hurts so much!//  
  
"Harry! Can you hear me?! Please try to concentrate on my voice!"  
  
//Dumbledore?// Another scream. //Please, take the pain away...//  
  
Dumbledore put two fingers on Harry's forehead, trying to focus his voice inside the boy's head. He couldn't use conventional magic to save Harry. It would only make things worse. "Listen to me Harry! You must relax! You must not fight the pain!"  
  
Amid the flashes and pictures that were racing across Harry's eyes, he would make out Dumbledore's form, and then lose it. And the pain kept growing worse and worse.  
  
"Harry! Do not fight it!"  
  
"Dum-m-ble...d-dore..."  
  
"Yes Harry! Listen to my voice. You must not fight it! Relax!"  
  
//It hurts so much...I just want it to end...//   
  
"Relax, Harry! Please!" Albus could feel his scar growing hotter despite his efforts, and Harry's screams indicated that the pain was not relenting. "Harry! Relax yourself to the pain!"  
  
"...C-can't..." Harry screamed once more, full of the most pain yet. He was trying to stop it, block it somehow, but nothing could help. All he knew was the pain and Dumbledore's voice.   
  
"Hear me, Harry! You must relax as much as you were in the beginning!" Harry screamed again, and Dumbledore forced his palm upon the white-hot scar. It was burning him, but if he could get Harry to hear him, it would be worth the burnt flesh.   
  
Dumbledore forced all his pure magic into his hand, and spoke to Harry with great power and force. "Relax yourself now, Harry! Or you will not...return to us."  
  
//I just want it to end...I don't want to fight it anymore...//  
  
Things got very quiet, and Dumbledore saw this as his chance. It was now or never to end Harry's suffering and stop the pain plaguing him. He concentrated his magic onto Harry's scar, and as Harry finally relaxed himself, the old wizard forced the pain from him. Harry screamed a blood-curdling scream as he felt pain both entering and leaving his body. He opened his eyes to a brilliant white light that seemed to go on forever. He thought //So this is what death is like// until the light turned to dark and he lost consciousness.  
  
"Albus!!" Madam Pomfrey's voice erupted into the room along with a herd of students. "What's happened?!?" She saw him standing over the bed, his hand on Harry's head. He looked utterly exhausted, and there was a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. "Albus! Are you alright?!"  
  
"Everything is fine, now, Poppy. I believe young Harry here needs his rest, that is all."  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked at Harry now unconscious on his bed. His eyes were closed, and his mouth slightly open. He seemed to be at peace, but was so very still. Dumbledore kept his hand on Harry's forehead, both to block the sight of blood from the students, as well as monitor Harry's temperature.  
  
"Is he alright, Professor Dumbledore?" Fred was watching the old wizard with great anticipation. It was then that Madam Pomfrey noticed all the students in her hospital.  
  
"All of you out of here! Mr. Potter needs his rest, and he won't get it with all of you gawking at him."  
  
But Fred was very persistent, and he wanted answers badly. "Is he okay?!" he demanded.  
  
"He will be fine with some peace and quiet, and plenty of rest," Dumbledore told him much wearied.   
  
"Now out! All of you! Visiting hours are over!" Madam Pomfrey herded the students out of her hospital, not without resistance, and ordered them to their dormitories. She watched as Fred Weasley ran off in the direction of Dumbledore's office, and then closed the doors. She hurried back to Dumbledore's side and immediately began to fret over Albus and Harry. "Are you okay, Albus? Is he okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine with a little sleep, and Harry just needs his rest now. A day's sleep and he should be back to normal." He smiled down at her and removed his hand very carefully from Harry's forehead.  
  
"Albus! You're hurt!" She took his hand and examined the neat little burn that had become part of his being. "Let me put something on this." She went behind her curtain and gathered up a few bottles.  
  
Dumbledore looked over his hand, and considered the unconscious boy on the cot. He suspected dark magic at work, and needed to get to the bottom of this as soon as Harry's strength returned. It looked like Harry's training would be postponed until he got better. And then it would be increasingly tough for the unconscious boy.   
  
"Here, let me wrap that." Madam Pomfrey wrapped a bandage with a balmy substance around Dumbledore's hand. She moved to do the same to Harry's head, but then remembered how he had stopped her hand before. "Is it okay for me to put it on him?"  
  
"You can treat him just like any other patient now. He should be quite alright in a few hours, and then all he needs is rest." Dumbledore watched as Madam Pomfrey wrapped the boy's head and gently made him comfortable.   
  
"You come back to me tonight, Albus, so I can check on that hand."  
  
"Of course, Poppy. You'll alert me once he wakes?"  
  
"Of course I will."  
  
The doors of the hospital opened and a few shrieks could be heard from students outside who had obviously not gotten to their dormitories. Striding in his full bat-glory came Snape, who promptly cursed at some students and shut the doors.  
  
"Ah, Severus."  
  
"Headmaster..." Snape looked at his bandaged hand, and Harry's bandaged head, and was upset that he wasn't informed of what was happening sooner. He could have helped. He'd learnt what he could from Malfoy about what was happening in this part of the castle, and even that wasn't adequate enough information.   
  
"Severus! You're bleeding!" Poppy Pomfrey instinctively took Snape by the arm and rolled up his sleeve. She gasped at his bloody dark mark and quickly wrapped it with the balmy cloth. Before she could ask him questions, Dumbledore held out his arm to Snape.  
  
"Would you mind helping an old man back to his quarters?"  
  
"Of course, Headmaster."  
  
"I'll be seeing you later tonight then, Poppy." He smiled gently and took support of Snape's arm. He didn't look it, but he was very weak from helping Harry get past his pain, and leant heavily on Snape.  
  
"I'll be seeing the both of you back here tonight!" She told them as they left. "I'll be checking that arm of yours, Severus, whether you like it or not!" Snape's glare went wasted on the nurse as she tried to make Harry more comfortable.  
  
"Headmaster, there are some...issues I need to discuss with you."  
  
"My thoughts exactly, Severus. But the present time is not the best time. I think I need a bit of a nap." He smiled into the Potions Master's face and saw something of annoyance in his eyes. He expected nothing less from Severus, but he would be of no use to anyone if he fell asleep while trying to hear information.   
  
"Potter's fan club is right outside..."  
  
"I wouldn't expect anything else." His eyes twinkled and he tried not to lean on the younger wizard as he stepped outside. He had to keep up appearances for Harry's safety, as well as that of the rest of the students.  
  
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That's it for Chapter 10! Yay! What exatly happened to Harry? What of the dractnoxes? Is Moldie-Voldie up to his old tricks again? And what part does Snape play ina ll of this? *Geez, I don't know, Shaggy*   
  
Okay, enough of the scary scooby-doo questions. Yeah, I had to stop chappie 10 there. Makes for a more interesting chappie 11! Ha ha ha! I strike once more! Hope you're not too disappointed with this chapter, and I -really- hope I didn't confuse you with the two points of view. I Love You all my reviewers! I didn't expect to get so many reviews so quickly for chapter nine! It made me immediately have to start writing chapter 10!  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Anything for you, my dear!  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: You like my treats?! Ha-zah!  
  
Katani Petitedra: I am the Cliffhanger Queen! You'll rue the day! Muhuhahaha! 


	11. Body Between Worlds

It's taken a bit longer for me to get this chappie up cuz I've been sick. Wanna know why? Because a certain potions master got all pissed at me for not having more of him in this fic, and so i've been cursed to cough up a lung! *blah!* I can't even bloody BREATHE! Damn you Potions Master! Okay, enough of my ramblings. On with the story!  
  
  
  
Chapter 11- Body Between Worlds  
  
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Madam Pomfrey watched as two wizards entered her hospital after dinner. //Right on time// She smiled to herself, and then prepared herself to check their bandages.  
  
"He's still asleep then."   
  
"Unconscious..." Madam Pomfrey corrected.  
  
Snape leaned over and looked at Harry, making sure he wasn't just pretending to be asleep and really listening in. He seemed satisfied with Madam Pomfrey's diagnosis, if you could call it satisfying.   
  
"May we speak of the incident at hand, now, Headmaster?" He had waited until now to talk to Dumbledore about everything that had taken place during the day, as Dumbledore had had his nap, and Snape had classes to teach.  
  
"What are you telling the students, Albus?" Madam Pomfrey sponged Harry's feverish head lightly, and made a move to check Dumbledore's bandaged hand.  
  
"A Blinkerbug bite." Dumbledore told her as she unbandaged his hand. His eyes twinkled with mischief.   
  
"A Blinkerbug? Albus, you can't be serious. I haven't treated one of those in nearly two decades. They're all dead in this region."   
  
"Precisely why the students will believe it to be some prank gone horribly wrong. Blinkerbug bites are terribly painful, and cause burning of the skin, and with the amount of screaming Harry's done today, hopefully they'll believe it."  
  
Madam Pomfrey gave a sudden snort and gave Albus his hand back. "Fast healer, as usual. You're perfectly fine. Not even a scar to show for it." She moved aside Albus and took Snape's arm. "Now it's your turn, Severus."  
  
"I'm perfectly fine-"  
  
"Good, because I'm still checking it." She took his arm firmly but gently, and unwrapped the bandage. He winced as she peeled back the last piece of cloth. "Severus...It hasn't healed..." //At all...//  
  
"Don't expect that accursed piece of flesh to heal so easily," he said brusquely. He looked down at the dark mark upon his arm and wished it would've burnt itself right off.   
  
"This should speed things up a bit. Don't look at me like that, Severus. You are to keep this bandage on until it heals right up, and see me every day until it does." She gave the fresh bandage a good pat to run her point home, and turned back to Dumbledore.  
  
"What really happened today, Albus? And I don't want to hear 'Blinkerbug bite'."  
  
Dumbledore looked at Snape and then down at Harry. He lowered his voice. "There are terrible things at work here, Poppy. I fear that they may have something to do with Voldemort." Poppy gasped and looked down woefully at the young sleeping boy. "Harry's scar and Severus'...mark are connected to him in one way or another, sometimes sharing both pains and pleasures." He stopped and looked to the potions master. "Severus, I believe you had a theory," Albus said gently, noticing how Snape grasped his left forearm.  
  
"Yes, Headmaster." He let go of his arm and glanced down at Harry. "I was working in my office, today, when it happened. I was filling potions for Poppy's stores-" he motioned to the hospital potions cabinet, "-when my mar-...arm started to burn. It was like stabs of fire and needles of ice at once, all concentrated on my connection to the Dark Lord." Poppy looked sadly from Snape to Harry and back to Snape. Now she knew what pain the boy must have been in.   
  
"Something has happened with him," he continued. "I can guarantee that. But I can't be positive if it was felt by all who are connected to him. I suggest that any plans to invade the enemy stronghold wait until we are sure of what has occurred."  
  
"Wise words indeed, Severus." Albus stooped down to touch Harry's forehead. He felt nothing out of the ordinary. "I can only hope that whatever has happened, has happened in favor of the side of Light."  
  
***********  
  
It was the middle of the night when Harry woke up. He sat straight up in his bed very quickly, feeling more than a bit lightheaded and detached, with a curious sense of deja vu.   
  
//Where am I?// He remembered seeing a bright white light, and thought for a moment that he might be in heaven. Upon further inspection, he found it to be the hospital wing. //Oh. Well, at least I'm not dead.//  
  
"Nooo...Not dead, Harry Potter..."  
  
"Wha?" Harry looked at the Dractnox directly in front of him. //Oh yeah, I almost forgot about those guys.//  
  
"You did not forget..."  
  
"Will you please stay out of my head?" Harry looked straight at the Dractnox, trying to convey his seriousness through his eyes, if not his voice. He noticed just how intensely amber its eyes were, and just how shadowy the thing actually was. "Alright?" Harry noticed the footsteps of someone approaching his bed, and saw a familiar platinum head headed his way. "What are you doing here so late, Draco?"  
  
He expected some sort of retort, like why was he talking to 'himself', or why he had ended up in the hospital again, but it didn't come.  
  
"I'm so sorry..."  
  
"What?!" An apology from Draco Malfoy was the last thing in the world that Harry ever expected to hear. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm so sorry this happened to you...I...I should've listened before..."   
  
"Are you crazy, Malfoy?! What's wrong with you?" He was talking as if Harry was still asleep, or like he wasn't really there. "Are you feeling okay?"  
  
"...I shouldn't have gone with my father...I know now...If I'd have said something...after I got back..."  
  
"Are you running a fever or something?!" Harry was getting rather scared of the way Malfoy was talking to him. //He must be ill or hexed or something must be up// Harry moved to put a hand to Draco's forehead, and it went right through.  
  
"AH! What's going on!?!" Harry looked at his hand that had went right through Malfoy's skull like water through a net. It didn't look as solid as it should have. More see-through syrup-like than a solid. "Malfoy! Did you do this to me?!"  
  
"-I didn't think about it at the time...It shouldn't have happened..."  
  
"Will you shut up and answer me?!" He tried to shake some sense into Malfoy, but when he touched him, he went right through. Or fell through is more like it; right out of bed. He was lighter than air, and his light-headedness and detached feelings were making themselves rather prominent at the moment.  
  
"What's going on?!" He yelled at Malfoy out of fear and frustration. Malfoy merely continued to mumble apologies and whatnot even though Harry was now on the floor behind him. He looked where Malfoy's attention was directed, and nearly screamed. Lying in his bed, where he was only a few seconds before, was himself.   
  
Harry. Him. He.   
  
//What's going on?! Is that me? Am...am I dead?// He tried touching his body, or at least what he was pretty sure was -his- body, with one shadowy hand. It went right through.   
  
"Oh God I'm dead! I'm really dead!"  
  
"Nooo Harry...Not dead."  
  
Harry turned around to face the Dractnox he was staring at only minutes before. "What's wrong with me?! Is that me there? Answer me!"  
  
"That iss you asssleep. You arrre only unconscious in your bed."  
  
"What do you mean?! How am I there and here?" Harry was growing frightened and more than a little freaked out with Malfoy speaking but not listening. "Am I dreaming?" //Must be a nightmare! I got hurt or hexed or something, and this is just a nightmare!//  
  
"No, not a nightmare, and you arrre not dreaming. Your body of the human world iss unconscious in that bed. Your body between the worldss liess here."  
  
"What do you mean by that?!"  
  
"You arre between the worldss like Dractnox now. You are one of them, and not one of them."  
  
Harry was getting scared, which was leading to anger, and he found himself shouting. "I can't be one of you! When did this happen to me?! Tell me everything!"  
  
"You arre one of the Dractnox and you arre not one of the Dractnox, Harry Potter. You arre a creature of shadow and a creature of light." Harry looked at his body, and found himself to be made of the same stuff the Dractnoxes were. "Thisss was made possible when you surrendered yoursself to the pain your human body felt, and when the wizard you call Dumbledore forced it out. You were forced from your human world body."  
  
"But...I...why?" Harry tried to recollect the things that had put him in this situation. The Midst potion, the training he was supposed to be undertaking, and then studying with Ron and Hermione. He furrowed his shadowy brow and thought how crazy his life was going. //That is, if I still have a life to return to...//  
  
"You do..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You arre a Dractnox, but not a Dractnox."  
  
"Okay, I understand that. I'm in your world so that makes me one of you, but I'm not purely one of you, but I am...um...I think I'm confused...how long am I stuck this way?"  
  
"That iss undecided."  
  
//I guess these things don't have all the answers//  
  
"Not for another Dractnox. We are one and many."  
  
Harry was annoyed. //What do these riddles mean? Not for another Dractnox? So I'm a Dractnox? Fine then. They are one and many? Like...bees making a hive? One collective whole. Alright. So I'm a bee. I'm a big, scary, shadowy bee. Now what should I do?//  
  
Malfoy was getting up to leave, after having left something in a brown paper package on Harry's bedside table. "I really hope things turn out for you...This never should have happened..."  
  
"Malfoy! Wait! Don't go!" Harry's shouting fell upon deaf ears, and Malfoy left the hospital wing. He was left to his pondering again, and desperately wished that either Ron or Hermione were there with him. //That reminds me...//  
  
"Dractnox?" he said, and felt a strange sort of pulling inside himself. "What caused the pain...the burning...today at the lake? What did it?" No sooner than he asked was the information he wanted poured upon him like some great sea, and he felt himself drowning. So many sounds and sights and information was he given that he didn't know how to comprehend it all. "S-s-stop..." The sights and sounds all died and he was left with himself and the Dractnox again. "What was that?"  
  
"The answer to your question."  
  
"W-was it? Can you give me the same -answer-, but about a hundred times slower?"   
  
The Dractnox did as it was told, and suddenly all the sights and sounds and information made sense. He saw himself at the lake, relaxing more than he had ever done before. Then he found himself staring at one of the most loathed -things- on the face of the Earth: Voldemort. He was hunched over a box or bottle or something that apparently held his interest, and was chanting a spell of sorts on it. He removed a shiny metal blade from his robes, and made a cut in his own hand, dropping crimson onto the item of the hour. This resulted in a loud explosion, which flung him across the room. Harry didn't understand what he was seeing, but it pleased him greatly to see his most hated enemy handled in such a fashion. Voldemort got up from a heap on the floor, his eyes glowing murderous red and destruction written on his face. He whipped out his wand and screamed a terrible curse at the object.   
  
Harry was taken back to the lake, just in time to see himself hunched over in pain and screaming, clutching his head. Hermione and Ron were shaking him, trying to get a response. He watched as Hermione transfigured a twig, and suddenly he was in the dungeons of Hogwarts, a place he wasn't too fond of. He watched speechlessly as his potions professor clutched at his arm in pain, flinging phials of potions every which way off of his desk, which shattered on the floor. Harry was then treated to some sort of a view he couldn't quite understand. He saw himself, Professor Snape, and Voldemort all on the floor in one place or another in searing, blinding pain.  
  
//Good. If Voldemort was experiencing the same thing, then good.//  
  
Harry's attention was brought then to the item that Voldemort had tried unsuccessfully to destroy. It was some sort of a gem. Or a little piece of glass. It was smeared with his blood, and seemed to be in one way or another hurting him.   
  
"So that thing caused the burning in my scar?"  
  
"Yesss...and the bleeding..."  
  
"Bleeding?"  
  
"Your scar bleed from the pain you experienced."  
  
//Ah yes...Dumbledore helped me...I think...But why was I made like this if Dumbledore helped me?// He went to sit down on his bed, then saw himself lying there, and nearly had a panic attack. He was so comfortable in questioning the Dractnox that he forgot he was...sort of...one, and that his real body was lying unconscious on the cot.  
  
"What do I do about that?" He pointed to his body on the cot. "Can I just like...climb back in?"  
  
"This is unsure..."  
  
"You're a Dractnox! Nothing is unsure for you! You know everything! Don't you?!"  
  
"Not of another Dractnox. We cannot predict for ourselves."  
  
"And that means me, since I'm one of you, right?"  
  
"Yesss."  
  
"Dractnox," he felt that pulling inside that he didn't like, "Can this be reversed? Can I return to my human world body?"  
  
Scenes flew before him one as incomprehensible as the next. In all the fury of pictures and sight and sounds, the little human part that was left of Harry passed out into the oblivion.  
  
*********************************  
  
Dun-Dun-Dun! Hey, what do you want? I'm bloody ill! I actually think this is one of the most accurately named chapters I've done in a while. I'm dreadful at names...  
  
Thanx for reviewing me guys! I got a sudden reality check realizin' that you guys really like this crap I call fanfic! I LUV YOU ALL! You're truly the bain of my existence! *hands out tea cakes and root-beer* Yep, my treats got a little better! Root beer is the drink of the Gods, so drink up! Yum! *hands out cookies and punch -Especially- for ParanoiaIn2005* hee hee!   
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Being as sick as I am couldn't keep me away from updating! well...at least not for too long:) i hope you liked what happened with Harry. That was the product of the hallucinatory illness i was under the influence of:D  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Yay! I'm so glad that I'm not going too overboard with this story(truth is, sometimes I think i'm a bit -too- descriptive). I'm so very happy that I've won you over! *gives a very Homer-Simpson-esque 'WOO-HOO!'*   
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: Wow! You've stuck with me that long?! You still think I'm funny after all these chapters?! Yay! *i luv u!* I hope I'm good at suspense! *cough* CliffHangerQueen *cough cough* Hee hee! Glad I'm not too boring =^..^= Now if only my english teacher could understand that...  
  
Katani Petitedra: GAH! Not the EVIL COOKING UTENSILS OF DOOM!(--tm of Katani Petitedra) Heh-heh! Thanx for the threats! They help! but now what kind of an author would I be if I didn't live up to my title as the "Cliff Hanger Queen"? Oh look, here's another for your fancy! 


	12. Calm Before The Storm

First of all, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Teah (my ungrateful sis! Forceofhobbit)  
  
So the next installment is here! *cricket noises* I know, I don't expect any applause, but considering I've been juggling homework, prepping for college, Homecoming, illness, and the butt-load of reading I've had to do, I think one day late isn't going to hurt anyone. So'sies...here's the next chappie!  
  
Chapter 12- Calm Before The Storm  
  
*********************************  
  
"I don't understand, Albus. He should have awaken by now. I've tried everything..."  
  
"A bit longer, perhaps...No student has ever endured the pain he's gone through. He may wake today, or he may wake tomorrow. We can only wait."  
  
"But...what if something..." Madam Pomfrey couldn't bring herself to say it. //What if whatever you did to the boy harmed him?//  
  
"He needs much rest."  
  
"Albus..."  
  
As if on cue, Harry slightly moaned in his sleep. Madam Pomfrey let out a thankful 'oh!' and bent over him, trying to wake him. Dumbledore smiled and felt rather relieved.   
  
"Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
"Yes, dear. It's me."  
  
Harry looked straight into the face of what he was sure to be Madam Pomfrey. He couldn't see straight because his glasses were off. He groped around for them, and felt a strong hand offering them to him.   
  
"Professor Dumbledore?"  
  
"Yes, Harry. That's right. At least we know your memory to still be in working order." He smiled down at Harry.   
  
Harry felt disoriented. All the pain, he remembered. All the sights he'd seen as, what, Dractnox form? He couldn't get them out of his head. Malfoy actually coming to see him? //Is the world going mad?!//  
  
"How do you feel, young man?"  
  
Harry looked at the concerned face of Madam Pomfrey. She looked tense and without enough sleep. "Thirsty."  
  
She laughed, experiencing intense relief, and went off to get him a fresh glass of water.  
  
"Professor..." Harry didn't know where to start.  
  
"It's alright, Harry." The old wizard placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. He always knew how to make a person feel better. "Just take it easy. You are still weak."  
  
Harry noticed it was night out, and wondered what exactly Dumbledore was doing there in the hospital wing, and what hour it was. Madam Pomfrey came back to Harry with a glass of water, plus several bottles of potions, cutting his musings short.   
  
"You need to rebuild your strength, and I'm sure you're hungry, being out as long as you were. Take this, and this, and don't look at me like that, Mr. Potter. You need those vitamins, unless you want to end up permanently residing in this wing."  
  
Harry thought he heard Dumbledore chuckle as he downed all the potions to Poppy's satisfaction, which were less than tasty in the least. He handed her the discarded bottles and she put them away in her cupboard.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore...?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Just how long was I asleep for?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled expectantly at Harry. "Two days."  
  
"Two days?! But how can that be? I've only been here a night-" Harry stopped and realized he'd just said too much. He wasn't straight in his own head yet, and here he was making himself confused once more.  
  
"What do you mean, 'one night', Harry? Did you wake before?" Dumbledore looked intrigued, if not a bit worried, and watched Harry intently. Madam Pomfrey suddenly felt like an eaves-dropper and went to busy herself with her cabinet.  
  
"I didn't actually wake, sir. I was sort of...gone." Harry leaned in conspiratorially. "With them."  
  
"The Dractnoxes?"  
  
"Yes. I -was- one for a bit, sir. I don't know how. All I know was that it wasn't a dream."  
  
"How were you one of them, Harry?" Dumbledore looked positively worried, mulling over his talks with Snape he'd had in the past few days about whatever it was that Voldemort could be doing.  
  
Harry was quiet for a moment. Even -he- wasn't sure why he had become one for one night. //Oh yeah, they said it was because of whatever Voldemort did with that glass thing//  
  
"I was forced, sir."  
  
"What do you mean, my boy?"  
  
Harry didn't want to tell him. He could just imagine how he'd make it sound. //Oh, well Professor, you see, the thing is that when you 'helped' me, you forced me to be one of them. Just forced me out of my human body as I know it. No big deal and all. I'm perfectly fine now, so no hard feelings. It probably would've happened anyway...//   
  
"I'm not sure." Well, at least it wasn't entirely a lie. "But I do know that it happened because of Voldemort. He was playing with something...I don't know what. He was really happy to have it, though." Harry then went in to a full-scale narration of the things he had seen, the pictures that had been shown, the description of the glassy thing Voldemort had had, and how he had passed out in the end. He didn't, however, mention Malfoy himself in this version, or why he had been there. He still had to think a few things to figure out for himself. Besides, as long as he told Dumbledore what was important, it didn't matter. He could talk to Malfoy later.   
  
"This is very serious, Harry," Dumbledore said after awhile. He looked very anxious to Harry.   
  
"Is there anything I can do, Sir? I...I can ask the Dractnox-!"  
  
"No, Harry." He looked at Dumbledore skeptically. "Not until you at least regain your strength. I'm not sure if it's a good idea for you to ask them anything right now."  
  
"Okay..." He relaxed into the mattress defeatedly. He heard Madam Pomfrey making busy noises with her cabinet, and suddenly he had a thought. "Sir. Why aren't Ron and Hermione here?" He felt a little depressed by the fact that they weren't there, waiting for him.  
  
"It's past curfew, Harry." Dumbledore smiled at Harry's understanding. His friends wouldn't be allowed out this late. "Besides, Madam Pomfrey had to threaten young Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger to keep them out of her hospital wing. They've been in here every chance they've had. Ron was caught trying to sneak in here night before last."  
  
Harry laughed at Ron's determination. His heart was warmed by what Dumbledore had told him, and he couldn't wait to see them. They must've been very, very worried.   
  
"How are they?"  
  
"Very worried about -you-. Everyone has been." Dumbledore's eyes flicked to a table with get-well cards and candies on it.  
  
"Everyone...knows?"  
  
"More or less." His eyes twinkled. "They believe you've suffered a rather nasty Blinkerbug bite."  
  
"Blinkerbug?"  
  
"Little creatures with mean bites. Similar to a doxy."  
  
"Hmm..." Harry tried to stifle a yawn. Even with all the sleep he'd had, his mind was still exhausted.  
  
"I believe it is a late hour, Harry. And I must leave you to your rest." Dumbledore got up from Harry's bedside and was quickly joined by Madam Pomfrey. "I would hope Harry will regain his strength under your excellent care, Poppy."  
  
"Not with you pestering him, Albus," she said jestingly. Actually, she was very pleased that everything was okay with Harry, and that everything had worked out. Even if it was rather late.  
  
"Yes, Poppy. I will leave him in your care." He bid Harry goodnight, and left the wing.  
  
"Drink this, Harry. It will grant you dreamless sleep and give you back your strength." She gave Harry yet another potion. He cautiously sniffed it. "I think you'll find it better tasting than the others."  
  
With this incentive, Harry took a testing sip from the phial, and downed it, finding it to be of a rather pleasant chamomile-taste. He felt his eyelids getting droopy as he settled into his blankets, and barely registered the creak of the doors as someone entered the hospital wing.  
  
"Right on time, Severus." He tried to open his eyes to see what was going on this late, but could only slightly hear as he drifted into sleep. "Oh my. It just won't heal, will it...?"  
  
***********  
  
"Gr...rr...rr..."  
  
Harry growled in his sleep as he felt the morning sun's rays fall upon his head. He sat bolt upright upon hearing a chewing noise near his bed.  
  
"HARRY! You're awake!"  
  
"Ron? Is that you?" Harry felt hands hand him his glasses and he put them on. Looking around, he couldn't see Ron anywhere. "Where are you?"   
  
"I'm under here." It sounded like Ron was right next to him, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Ah hell, I don't care if Madam Pomfrey does see me!" Ron's form suddenly appeared as he threw Harry's invisibility cloak off of himself.  
  
A smile played at Harry's lips as he saw chocolate bits on the edges of Ron's mouth. It was his chewing that had woken him up.   
  
"It's bloody hot under there!"  
  
"What were you doing?"  
  
"There's no way Madam Pomfrey would let me be here during class. I've been hiding under your invisibility cloak for nearly forty-five minutes, waiting for you to wake up. You sure took your bloody time." Harry smiled at his friend's feigned annoyance.  
  
"I see you've been enjoying yourself, though." Harry pointed to his lips, and Ron wiped the chocolate off his own.   
  
He grinned and then pounced onto Harry's bed and gave his friend a great big bear-hug. Then he quickly jumped off him. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"  
  
"I'm fine, Ron. I've never felt better, actually."  
  
"So you've just been lying here enjoying yourself a little holiday while us chumps attend classes?" Ron looked mock-insulted.  
  
"Just about. Speaking of classes, where is Hermione?" //She wouldn't actually prefer to go to class than see me, would she?//  
  
"We had Defense Against the Dark Arts first thing this morning. She's taking notes for us both while I'm up here. She's been an absolute wreck. I thought she should keep busy, and hey, Hermione's notes are -the- notes to have, anyway." He smiled at Harry, but his worry could be seen from his eyes. "We were sneaking in here, both of us under the cloak, but Madam Pomfrey nearly caught us when Hermione..." He couldn't bring himself to say 'couldn't stop sobbing'. "When Hermione kept making noises." Harry lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. Ron hugged him tightly once more. "We're so glad you're okay!"  
  
"Is that you, Mr. Weasley?!"  
  
Harry and Ron simultaneously turned their heads toward the sound of Madam Pomfrey's voice. She was standing in the doorway of the hospital, and she looked rather annoyed.  
  
"What is this? The sixth time I've caught you here?"  
  
Ron looked guilty, but adamant. "Eighth..."  
  
Harry grinned at Madam Pomfrey, who couldn't resist the smile that came to her lips. "Shouldn't you be in class, Mr. Weasley? You shouldn't be bothering my patients." She tried to sound annoyed, but she was rather impressed with Ron's determination.  
  
"Ummm..."  
  
"He's not bothering me, Madam Pomfrey. I feel fine. Great actually." Madam Pomfrey came round to his bed and checked Harry. She seemed satisfied with his diagnosis.  
  
"You can leave the hospital after afternoon classes. Then I don't want to see you back in here ever again."   
  
Harry smiled at her. She may have used a roundabout way of saying it, but she cared greatly for his well-being. "I hope I won't need to be here again." She nodded at them both, allowing Ron to stay, and left the hospital to go about some errands.  
  
"She didn't kick you out," Harry stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Of course not. We Weasley's have our charms." He puffed out his chest proudly.  
  
Harry snorted. "Yeah, and it's called my invisibility cloak." They both had a good laugh for awhile until their sides started burning.  
  
"Yeah...That was great. It feels good to laugh again," Ron told Harry.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh Gods! Harry! You're awake!!" Hermione burst in through the hospital wing doors.  
  
"Hermione!" Harry shouted. She jumped onto the bed and engulfed him in a giant hug, practically knocking him off of the bed.  
  
"Careful, Hermione! You're going to bruise him!"   
  
"Don't worry, Ron! I won't hurt him!" Ron's face turned red and she buried her face into Harry's shoulder, hugging him tightly. She held on for a bit, and Harry felt her shaking. It was then that he realized she was crying.  
  
"Hermione?" Harry pulled back to look at her, and saw tears glistening on her cheeks. Ron looked at Harry with scared eyes. He didn't know what to do about her. "Are you okay?"   
  
Hermione wiped at her eyes and sniffled a few times. "I'm just so glad you're okay!" She started crying again, and Harry and Ron both hugged her.   
  
"Don't cry, 'Mione."  
  
"It's just...y-you're okay!" she wailed.  
  
"Oh, Hermione..." Ron didn't know what to do to calm her down. He had looked to Harry, and saw him looking right back for help. "We've been very worried about you. Dumbledore wouldn't tell us what happened...All we've heard is Blinkerbug bites..."  
  
"I'm fine, really." He looked Hermione straight in the face. "I'm absolutely fine. What happened to me...There wasn't anything you could've done. It was Voldemort again." He thought she might start crying again at the mention of -his- name, but all he saw was a severe loathing. "It's all rather complicated."   
  
Ron handed Hermione a tissue and she mopped at her eyes.   
  
"...Sorry...I-"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Hermione." They were all silent for a bit, hearing only the slightest sniffles from Hermione, and just enjoying the calm of the moment and one another's presence. Harry hated having to do it, but he broke the silence.  
  
"Dumbledore told me I couldn't speak with the Dractnoxes anymore..." He looked longingly at one.  
  
Ron and Hermione both gasped. "WHAT?! WHY?!"  
  
"He thinks it might be dangerous...From the things I've seen, and from what's happened to me, he says it wouldn't be good to use them for anything..."  
  
"But why, Harry?" Hermione sat on the bed looking hungry for information. Her tears had long since stopped, but her eyes were still red and puffy. "What happened to you?"  
  
"I-" He wanted to tell them, but had remembered that the consequences for them knowing information could be dire. "For your own protection, I can't tell you..." Hermione's face fell. "It's not that I don't want to! It's just that, things are very dangerous right now, and I don't want either of you getting hurt."   
  
"We understand, Harry." Those words from Ron's mouth earned a look of shock from both Harry and Hermione. It wasn't like Ron to not press him for info. "What? You told us why you can't, and I believe you."  
  
Harry beamed at Ron.   
  
"Ron's right. We trust you, Harry, so I suppose you don't have to tell us."  
  
"I just want you guys to be safe. There's no telling what Voldemort could do to you. Either of you."  
  
Hermione shifted on the bed and they heard a crackly sound. She sat up and pulled crumpled notes out of her pocket.  
  
"What is that, Hermione?"  
  
"Notes from charms...Ohmigosh!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've just skipped class! Arithmancy started thirty minutes ago!"  
  
"Hermione!" Ron looked sternly at her. "You can skip your classes for one day!"   
  
"Ron!"  
  
Harry laughed at them both bickering once again. Hermione's dedication to school was truly amazing. It was just like the past two days hadn't happened.  
  
"I think Madam Pomfrey is definitely going to kick the both of you out when she returns." They both stopped and put their attentions back to Harry.  
  
"It's really good to have you back again, mate." Ron grinned. The all-too-familiar noise of the hospital doors creaking open caught their attentions. "Now we're in for it..."  
  
Who walked in, however, was not Madam Pomfrey  
  
*********************************.  
  
Yes, I had to leave it there. Sure, I could tell you who walks in, but what kind of Cliff-Hanger Queen would I be then? Extra points to who figures out who it is! I think I'm going to try to get each chapter up at one-week intervals, but probably sooner. I've had so much to do. Things should chill down about November, but I won't stop writing! You guys just won't allow it, will you?  
  
Love to my most loved peeps of all :YOU'S GUYS!  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: I'm getting more and more well everyday! I'm still minorly sick *cough cough* but, yeah...I'm really your fav author?! I really don't know what to say...*tears out prepared speech* I'd like to thank the academy, my teah(don't ask), and Jebus! Also....  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: Something must be goin' around. Damn under-weather! I'm so happy I gave you something fun to do! Yay for me!  
  
A.M.bookworm247: Yay! Great work! Do i daresay I am master of suspense? *little voice inside her says 'no'* Fair-enough.  
  
Katani Petitedra: Damn. I'm now one Dractnox short. But that thing about the Dractnox...Brilliant. You gave me a good laugh!  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Glad you liked it! Yay for me!  
  
callas-and-ivy: Never seen you before. Glad ur part of the team! Hope I keep ya interested! *gives you welcome-hug* Thanx! I'm glad you guys think my fic is cool:) 


	13. Fading Away

Thanx for bein' so patient you guys. My compy has been crap. Points to ParanoiaIn2005 for figuring out who enters the room. And now....  
  
Chapter 13- Fading Away  
  
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Snape walked in through the hospital room doors, and caught sight of the terrific trio sitting on Harry's bed. His surprise at seeing Harry awake, and at finding the two others out of class, was evident on his face, but he quickly replaced it for a look of iciness, and entered fully into the room.   
  
"What are you doing out of class?" The silky ice in his voice seemed to wash over the whole of the room. He was probably wondering where Madam Pomfrey was, and why this was being allowed. The three just looked at one another in silence.   
  
"Uh-..." Hermione started. She tried to think of something, but knowing Snape, an answer of 'we were worried' was sure to gain them a loss of housepoints.   
  
"Yes, Miss Granger?"  
  
"We lost track of time, Professor."  
  
Snape looked at Hermione with a glare, and shot Harry an equally icy look. He knew that they'd been there for Potter, but he wanted a straight answer. "You didn't answer my question."  
  
"We came to see Harry. That okay with you?!" Ron was slightly trembling, but whether it was from fear or anger, they knew it took a lot of gall to talk that way to Snape.  
  
"Ten points, Mr. Weasley." He sneered at Ron. "Now get back to class. Both of you."  
  
Hermione and Ron grabbed their things in silence. Ron shoved the invisibility cloak under the bed with his foot and raised his eyebrows in knowing to Harry. They said goodbye and exited the wing, but not before Ron shot Snape a very dirty look. It was evident that he wouldn't be returning to class of his own free will.  
  
Harry would've grinned at Ron's display of bravado had the potions master and he not been in the same room. Alone. It was then that he wondered exactly -why- Snape was in the hospital wing.   
  
//I wish Dumbledore'd let me speak with the Dractnox...This makes things so much more difficult//  
  
"I expect You're back to health, Potter?" Snape looked down upon Harry with something of abject sympathy.  
  
"Yes, sir." //He probably wants me to return to training already...Geez, and I just woke up//  
  
Snape studied Harry for a moment, and then walked towards the back of the wing.   
  
"Uh-," he was going to tell Snape that Madam Pomfrey was out, but thought better of it. He didn't want to be the one to bear Snape bad news.  
  
"Severus! I didn't expect to see you here so early in the day." Madam Pomfrey's voice was like a godsend. Harry wasn't sure when he'd ever been so happy to see her.   
  
She smiled at Harry, noticing the loss of his friends, and walked over to Snape with a knowing glance. She took him into the back of the wing for some reason that Harry couldn't see.   
  
He was very curious about what business his potions teacher/trainer had to take care of in the wing. //Probably giving Madam Pomfrey potions...or trying to get her to have me training once more...Hmph. He'd probably make a coma patient endure no less!//  
  
"My my! You've healed quite nicely. I suppose this is your way of telling me that you won't be coming back to me for any more treatment, Severus?"  
  
Harry pricked up his ears at this and listened in for more. So Snape wasn't there for him. He got hurt. But where? Doing what? More spy work? Did they already invade Voldemort's stronghold while he was asleep? Surely Ron or Hermione would have told him?   
  
//GAAH! It'll be okay if I just ask the Dractnox one question, won't it? Nothing'll happen. It's just one question...//  
  
He listened in to the conversation that they were having, waiting for something of explanation. He didn't want to disobey Dumbledore, but he felt that this was something he should know. Besides, of whatever they were talking about back there, it didn't seem too important. It seemed to consist of how stubborn Madam Pomfrey thought Snape was, and at any rate, it wasn't about him.   
  
Harry looked to a Dractnox and thought for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to ask it what was up. He didn't think it dangerous. He'd spoke with them many a time before, and was pretty good with Legilimency to speak with them mentally, and he was feeling better than ever, so why not try? It was only one question, after all.  
  
He listened to Snape and Madam Pomfrey, and decided it was now or never.   
  
//Dractnox?// One immediately came to attention and brought itself to him with what seemed the utmost interest. //What happened to Snape? // Asking was putting a great strain on him. It was hurting him, straining his heart, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand it. He breathed heavily, panting. //While I was asleep, I mean//  
  
Immediately, Harry knew something was wrong. His question was being answered alright, but not in the normal speech way. He was being shown pictures, as he had when he was unconscious, and it was a completely different experience. His head spun and his eyes fluttered, trying to keep up with the images being shown. He felt all his strength and control leaving him, and he felt himself slipping away. He tried to fight it, tried to stop it, but couldn't. All he could feel was slipping away. Slipping, slipping, and all the while Madam Pomfrey was having a conversation with Snape not even fifteen feet away. He tried to grasp onto something, tried to somehow communicate that he needed help, but he couldn't. All he felt was slipping, and all he could see was his question being answered, over and over again, from one angle, and then another. He knew he wouldn't last long like this, and wondered when he would slip away. If the two in the other room even knew what was happening, Harry could not tell. He couldn't feel anything or sense anything other than an immense slipping...  
  
"Hold him still! Damn it Poppy!" Snape and Madam Pomfrey were trying to contain Harry, who was more or less struggling on his bed, and seemed to be sort of fading away. Literally fading. He was becoming translucent some, so that with each passing moment, they could see a little more of the sheets underneath him. "Hold him!"  
  
"I'm trying! I'm trying!" Poppy Pomfrey held on to the struggling boy, tears streaming down her face, and utter terror filling her countenance. What was happening to Harry never happened in the history of anything she knew. For once in her life, she felt helpless.  
  
"Potter! Listen to me!" Snape yelled at Harry in the most icy voice he could muster, but not even that could get through to him.   
  
"Please Severus!"  
  
"It's in his mind! Dammit! Hold him still!" Snape kept trying to breach Harry's mind with his own Legilimens, but he kept getting pushed back mentally and physically by Harry's struggling. Albus had told him what Harry had said had happened as he slept, and he knew this was some by-product of speaking mentally with those creatures of his. He rued the day he ever taught Harry anything of Legilimency. Of all the times he'd hated Harry, he never wished this upon him.  
  
"Severus! Do something! Please!"  
  
He tried to pry into Harry's head once more, all the while Harry was getting more transparent. Then suddenly, it was as if he had popped a through an ice-hole into his mind, and saw the chaos ensuing. But it wasn't quite long before the images themselves attacked Snape and threw him out. He slid across the floor of the hospital, hitting one of the beds and stopping. Madam Pomfrey tried to hold Harry herself, but he was too much for her.  
  
"Careful! His magic is out of control!" No sooner than Snape said the words was Madam Pomfrey levitated up and dumped somewhere behind her medical curtain. Harry was flailing, and almost blinking out of existence completely. He was becoming same as he was only a little bit ago inside of his mind. This time permanently.   
  
Snape lunged at Harry and held onto him tight, refusing to be attacked by rogue magic once more. He heard the crashing of medical instruments followed by Poppy's appearance out of the curtain once more.   
  
"Go and fetch the Headmaster!" Snape grunted, trying to keep Harry still. "Dammit woman! Now!"  
  
Taking a look at the nearly gone boy, Poppy ran out of the hospital with the speed of flight.   
  
Snape struggled to keep Harry still as he tried to penetrate his mind once more. "Listen to me, Potter. Your house will be in negative points until your grandchildren graduate should you decide to fade out on me! Don't you dare such a thing!" He concentrated hard with much struggle, but like a breath of fresh air, he got into Harry's deteriorating mind. //Potter!// He tried to make sense of everything in the boy's head, but the pictures were too fast, and the chaos too great. He tried to stop it, force it out with Legilimens, but found it a harder task than he had thought. //Potter! Dammit! Where are you?!//   
  
He felt a punch to his jaw, and realized that one of Harry's hands had gotten free. He grasped it with his own, and tried to find the boy within his own mind. Harry was becoming nothing more than a mere shadow of himself, and was practically gone.   
  
//Potter! You will answer me now!// Snape forced his mind into Harry's, yelling his order into the chaos of the mind.  
  
//Pro...fessor...//  
  
Snape heard the tiniest voice coming from somewhere within Harry's mind, and tried to find it underneath the chaos.  
  
//Answer me, Potter! Stop this!//  
  
//I...here...stop...//  
  
Snape tried to zero in on the sound, and found himself feeling Harry slipping away. He gripped onto Harry's hand, and tried to find him within his mind.  
  
//Where are you in here, Potter?! Stop all this!// He tried to force what he could out of Harry's mind, but what he could do wasn't much, and he was very pissed by that fact. //Wake up now! You're fading away! Twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter!//  
  
//...no...//   
  
Snape thought for a moment, and tried something.  
  
//If you don't stop this now, that will be another twenty points from Gryffindor, Potter!//  
  
He felt Harry's hand gripping his own, and looked to see that he wasn't as see-through as before.  
  
//...stop...//  
  
//Another twenty to that makes for an even sixty. Care to try for eighty?!// The chaos in Harry's head began to slow, and he felt the boy's presence stronger than it was before.  
  
//...you...git...// Snape actually smirked at this. It was working.  
  
//Should you decide to make your holiday in there any longer, Potter, that will be forty points!//  
  
//Get out...of my...head...// Harry's voice was strong in his mind, and Snape found that he couldn't see the bed-sheets through Harry anymore.   
  
//A grand total of one-hundred points deducted, Potter. If you don't stop now and awake, I'll double it!//  
  
Snape felt himself mentally kicked out of Harry's mind, and immediately thought that he had trained the boy too well in only a few days. He was panting, and took note of the mental strain he had put on himself. He tried to straighten out his own head and regain his composure as the boy became as solid and opaque as anything else in the room. He noticed the Headmaster and Madam Pomfrey in the room, having arrived only moments before. He looked at them with a little confusion, and then he felt Harry grip his hand, and he looked down and saw the boy looking back up at him. He wasn't sure what to do.  
  
"That...was a dirty trick...Professor..." Harry actually smiled at Snape, who looked severely bewildered. He knew he would be gone if it hadn't been for Snape. He wasn't sure how he felt, except incredibly drained. "You...look awful..."  
  
"Another ten points from your house, Mr. Potter, for disrespecting a teacher."  
  
Harry grinned exhaustedly at Snape, who thought the boy had some irreversible damage done to his head. Madam Pomfrey slowly approached them and took Harry from Snape, depositing him properly back in bed. Within moments, he was asleep. She then helped Snape to his feet, who was just as mentally drained as Harry, and helped him to an unoccupied bed, where she laid him down and forced him to drink a potion to restore his strength.  
  
Albus came up between the two beds, and studied Harry for a moment. "What did you do, Severus?" His voice was filled with a sort of admiration for the potions master, and he seemed, if anything, curious.  
  
"I told him I was taking house-points from him if he did not wake up." His head was throbbing with pain, and he wished more than ever for a Migrean potion to stop it, or at least stop the throbbing. Dumbledore chuckled.  
  
"And how many did you deduct?"  
  
"One-hundred points."  
  
"But it doesn't count inside your mind, does it, Severus?" Snape didn't answer him, but scowled, and Albus smiled. He knew no points had really been taken. Not really. Except for the last ten... "I suggest you get some rest, Severus. I don't think you, or Harry, will be doing any training today." Snape glowered at the Headmaster from drooping lids. He reluctantly fell alseep in the hospital wing.  
  
They both knew that this whole ordeal was only the beginning.  
  
******************************  
  
So, since i know you all want more (i probably just jinxed myself, huh?) I had to write this up as a sort of middle point, as we get down to all the nitty-gritty details in the next chapter. The original title of this chapter was going to be "The Eye of the Storm", but i don't want three titles with the words 'storm' in them. Kinda redundant. And don't worry, everything will soon be cast into the light...And as for Moldy-Voldy...well, we'll see.  
  
Katani Petitedra: Evil Cliffhanger Demon? I'll just add that one to my many titles. *Stay away from toasters!*  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Perhaps I am crazy... But it's all good. You get a reward of delicious peanut buttery-candies and rootbeer for guesiing Snape! Kudos!   
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Well, Dumbledore -eventually- came...But you're onto something with draco...heh heh heh...  
  
callas-and-ivy: Yep. that's me, Cliffhanger-Demon-Queen. Thnx very much!  
  
Keitorin: Now see, it's that kind of dedication and attitude that make writing this all worth while. You drank coffee for mah story, man, and dedicated those ever precious hours to it. *single tear* Thank you! And don't worry, we'll get to draco...muhuhahaha!! 


	14. A Perfect Storm

Okay guys, I'd like to start this chapter off with something I find way too coincidental to be some scary fluke.   
  
So I was watching this movie that came on my tele awhile ago, and I only caught the last half hour of it, but I thought, oh what the hell, it looks pretty scary, and I love scary movies (even though this is like, pre-90s). So anyway, to get past all this trivial stuff I'm saying, the movie was entitled "Troll", and I've done some digging, it was made in 1986. But that's not the frighteningly coincidental part of it(being as how she wrote the story set in 1992). I've found some rather shocking parallels between JKR's stories and this film. Okay, the main character in this film is named- get this, -Harry Potter Jr., his father being Harry Potter. Now, as if this was not coincidental enough, I find out that the film is all about magic and creatures from another sort of 'world'( i.e. 'Wizarding World'), who still like live in harmony with humans. Well, of course, this Harry Potter Jr. has to save his little sister from this evil thing(or the wizarding-world from Voldemort, see the parallels?), and well, geez, i dunno, it just completely weirded me out for a few days. Go and see for yourself.   
  
Okay, enough to have freaked you all out with my scary(not haha scary) findings. Here's your much awaited, very long chappie!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Chapter 14- A Perfect Storm  
  
*********************************  
  
Harry awoke early the next morning with a feeling of dread in his stomach. It was Saturday. The day that Voldemort's new initiations were to take place. And here he was, laying in bed, unable to (safely) communicate with the Dractnox, and feeling utterly, utterly useless.   
  
And it was all because he didn't listen to Dumbledore. He knew he shouldn't have spoken with the Dractnox, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him. He could've just asked Snape what had happened to his arm instead of questioning it, although it was more than likely that he would've received a reprimand for it. But that would've been nothing compared to what he'd gone through now.   
  
And now he owed Snape his life. He knew that fact all too well. And it wasn't the first time that the Potions master had saved his life, either. He wouldn't be there, in that room, in that bed, in Hogwarts if it wasn't for Snape. The very skills and abilities that Snape was trying to refine and teach him had saved his life.   
  
He realized that he hadn't been as keen on them as he should have, and that he had been taking them for granted for too long.  
  
Things would be different starting now.   
  
He could see that from the start. He really didn't have any time to putter around and not take things seriously. This was life. His life. And the seriousness of it was made all too clear from the very moment the Potions master had made himself present inside Harry's mind. There wouldn't always be someone like Snape to save Harry when he screwed up. And he couldn't allow a repeat of what had occurred to happen again.   
  
That was why today, things were going to change. He was going to put childish rivalries and worries behind him. That didn't mean that he would stop participating in the things he loved, like Quidditch, for example, but that he would be on top of things from now on. He couldn't afford to not do so.   
  
And what about what he was doing to the people he loved? Surely Ron and Hermione had already been through more than enough as consequence of being his friends? They didn't deserve to go through any more of this madness. And Godric only knew what they were feeling now. They thought that he would be back with them now, in Gryffindor Tower. And where was he? His second home, the hospital wing. If he didn't cause them early death through stress and worry, he'd be very, very surprised.   
  
//I should get out of here. I feel okay. And I'm sure not going to try to speak with -them- again for awhile// He glared at a Dractnox in a way that would rival Snape himself. It took no notice of his death glare and continued on its way right through the brick wall. //Yeah, that's what I thought//  
  
He sat up fully and decided to inspect the momentos and get-well stuff on his nightstand, something that he hadn't gotten a chance to do yet. It would give him time to think before he acted, an interesting theory in his opinion. //And I have a lot to do. I need to talk with Dumbledore. And especially Ron and Hermione...And probably Snape too. I owe him...big...// There was an incredible amount of chocolate wrappers amid the stuff on the stand (accredited to Ron, of course) along with Every-Flavor Beans and an out-of-place brown paper bag. //Malfoy's bag! Oh Gods! how could I have forgotten it?!//  
  
The dirty paper parcel was there, sitting insignificantly amidst the candies and such. He practically flew to get at it, his curiosity flaring up like some uncontrollable fire. What in the world would Malfoy ever leave -him-? Especially when he had thought that Harry didn't know it was he who stuck it there, and after a grand-scale apology on his part, too.   
  
//But surely he doesn't think that now, after all this time, the potion he slipped me is just now having it's effects? But what else could he be talking about?//  
  
Harry looked at the bag, so unimportant in it's drab coloring. He wanted to shred it open, tear the paper to bits, but he wasn't quite sure what it would contain. The bag itself was terrifyingly uncharacteristic of Malfoy parcels. What if it should it be some sort of trap?   
  
//But what if it isn't? He meant what he said...I know it//  
  
Harry decided to throw caution to the wind. He'd be damned if this thing was going to blow up in his face on the very day he'd decided to turn everything around. And if Malfoy really did want to hurt Harry, he would have done it the very same night he'd left the bag.  
  
//Oh Merlin please don't let this be a mistake...//  
  
Gingerly unfolding the edges of the brown paper, Harry awaited some sort of explosion, or poison gas, or something else nasty that the wizarding world had to graciously offer.   
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Harry looked inside the bag to see something shiny. He cautiously put his hand in and pulled out a long, smooth piece of metal.   
  
//What is this?//  
  
He twirled it around in his hand and examined it. There didn't seem to be anything great about it. Not in the least bit magical. Why did Malfoy give him something that looked like his aunt's good silver?   
  
Harry furrowed his brow and put it back into it's bag, depositing it safely on the nightstand. He could see Dumbledore about it later. //I would have been able to ask the Dractnox...// Harry frowned. Those things hadn't made his life as easy as he had originally thought they would. And what had he gotten for knowing about them? Right now, they just led from one big headache to another.   
  
//And what remedy is there for this? Gaah! I wish they had never come to me!//  
  
Harry swung his legs decidedly over the bed and searched for his robes. He wanted out of the wing and he wanted out right now. It was early enough that no one would be up and about yet, so he could escape outside for some time alone to think. He needed fresh air and solitude to mull things over. What help was he to Dumbledore now in the fight against Voldemort? The initiation was today, and he hadn't been able to stop anything, or even at least hinder what was going to happen. They knew where the place was at least, but what had they done to stop anything? Unless there had been plans made when Harry was asleep, there was nothing done to stop Voldemort from taking new members -Harry's peers, friends- into his ranks. Dumbledore had told Harry that those reluctant to join would die. Did that mean that next week Hogwarts would be a little less full of students? Harry couldn't live with that on his conscious.   
  
Finding his clothes pressed and cleaned he put them on and stood up quietly so he could sneak out of the wing for a bit. //I'll be back before anyone is even up. I won't be missed// He didn't want to worry Madam Pomfrey, or cause any panic. Things were as bad as they needed to be already.   
  
Harry was quietly making up his bed and getting ready to leave some sort of note for Madam Pomfrey when he heard the hospital doors open very quietly. He thought for sure that he'd be facing a very surprised, and rather irate, Medi-witch, but instead a platinum head slowly made it's way inside. Harry froze in his place, surprised.  
  
Malfoy.   
  
He hadn't expected to be seeing him so soon. At least not the first thing today, and so early in the day too.   
  
He watched as Malfoy slowly entered and quietly shut the doors, not noticing Harry was presently standing and watching him. Harry quickly checked his bed once to make sure that he wasn't lying there, as an illusion like before, and that Malfoy was just unobservant. The sudden intake of breath from Draco told Harry otherwise.  
  
They both stared at each other; Draco going paler than his already pallid complexion, and Harry studying him with inquiring eyes. Neither moved but just watched the other, not knowing what to expect or think.  
  
"Potter..." Draco uttered under his breath with a sort of relief. The quiet echo from his voice and the breathing of each boy was the only noise in the room.   
  
"Draco..." Harry used his first name, beginning the changes he decided would take place in his life. As far as he was concerned, the name 'Malfoy' held a certain connotation, a sort of history, that he did not wish associated with when speaking Draco's name. That, and addressing him as 'Malfoy' was something that he did when he considered Draco an enemy. He was putting it behind him.   
  
"You're awake..."  
  
"I am."  
  
Neither moved from their respective spots, and both were still whispering. The cold of the morning was still upon the air, and Harry could feel it creeping up upon them, enclosing them with a sort of privacy in which to speak, although neither really seemed to know what to say to one another except short two-word sentences. Malfoy chose to break that rule for single words.  
  
"Alright?"  
  
"Good and healthy." Harry walked around from one side of the bed to the other, as if proving this. He sat down determinedly facing Malfoy. He wasn't going anywhere, not until they had discussed a few things. So they stayed like that for awhile, simply looking at one another, barely moving in the silence. Harry could see in Draco's eyes the whirling of too many emotions. He was wondering just exactly what Draco was there for, taking into consideration everything he knew, including the brown paper bag sitting so very close to him. But his considerations were cut short as Draco finally decided to break the silence.  
  
"Everyone thinks you're dying..."  
  
"Well, if you've come to see if it's true, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed..."  
  
Rather than the expected anger or hostility, Harry's statement was greeted with one of the most pained expressions he'd ever seen. With a heavy heart, Malfoy started to confess his guilty conscious to Harry, something he'd tried to do once before, and something he had to do right here and now or die from guilt.  
  
"I'm so sorry...It shouldn't have happened to you, I know...it's all my fault for what's been happening to you! I shouldn't have gone along with any of it! It's all gone too far!" His voice started to waver terribly and Harry did the only thing he could think of doing. He got up from where he was standing and walked over to Draco. He held his hand out in front of him to shake that of the other boy. Draco looked at it but didn't shake. "I don't deserve your hand! I've done so much crap to you! It was me who poisoned you with that potion-!"  
  
"I'm fully aware of what you've done, and I'm offering you friendship." Harry took the trembling hand of the other boy and grasped it firmly in his. "The past is past, and things need to change. Now."  
  
"But what I've done-"  
  
"Is past."  
  
"N-no..." Draco said. "It's not. I-I gave something to Voldemort. Something very powerful...dangerous..."  
  
Harry frowned. Whatever that glassy thing Voldemort had had in Harry's vision must've been the thing Draco had given him. It seemed pretty powerful, but how had he acquired such an item?  
  
"What 'thing'?!" Harry was gripping Draco's hand hard without realizing it. The other boy let go.   
  
"I didn't give all of it to him...None of this should have happened...You were right..."  
  
"All of what?" A sudden light bulb went on inside Harry's head and he quickly went over to his bedstand table and wrenched the paper bag off it. "Is this the other piece?!"  
  
"How did you know...I..."  
  
"I know a lot of things now. Why did you give this to me?" He pulled out the piece of metal from inside.  
  
"It's...I...I don't know..."  
  
The air around them felt suffocating to Harry. They needed to talk somewhere else.   
  
"We should go and see Dumbledore about this..." Draco nodded and Harry put the metal back into it's bag. He quickly scribbled a note and left it on his pillow for Madam Pomfrey to find. "Let's go. There are a lot of things that need to be discussed." He headed for the hospital doors carrying the paper bag, with a reluctant Draco Malfoy following him down silent, deserted corridors.   
  
It was like some sort of crazy world of opposites. Never in his life did Harry think he and Draco could put things behind them, but there were bigger things in life than the two of them and their rivalries. This proved things.  
  
"We need to tell Dumbledore everything, you know?" Harry asked Malfoy.  
  
"Yes...I just...I can't believe the things I've done..."  
  
Harry stayed silent. In reality, they really weren't that different. Maybe different in some ways, like blood or family, but they were very alike. If not for the very first time they met, Harry would probably be in Slytherin right alongside Malfoy. It had never occurred to him that they could be so very similar in certain manners. If he had been in Slytherin, who was to say what kind of things he would be doing, or what kinds of friends he would have fallen in with. He knew that he had many inborn Slytherin qualities about him, that was for sure. He was a parseltongue and he knew he broke more than enough rules to last him a while, and what wouldn't he be willing to do to stop Voldemort? He was willing to give almost anything to stop that evil snake and avenge the parents that he had never even known. All the years of pain-filled memories living with his aunt and uncle could have been spent with parents who loved him. He would go to almost any length to stop Voldemort, and wasn't that a rather Slytherin characteristic in itself?  
  
"We're here..." Harry stated outside of the stone statue that led to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Isn't it too early?" Draco asked with trepidation. He was shaking slightly, and Harry was sure it was not from the chill of the morning air.   
  
He grabbed Draco's arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "There's only one way to find out."  
  
Harry muttered some muggle confection under his breath and the statue started to move, spiraling upwards. He and Draco jumped on and awaited the top of the stairs, Draco's stomach filling with dread.   
  
"You know, I've put our differences aside, and I don't think Dumbledore will begrudge you the same treatment..."  
  
With that statement, Draco seemed to regain some of his composure and re-established whatever bit of confidence he had left in himself. He knew he didn't deserve such civil treatment, and more than anything, he felt he ought to be kicked out of Hogwarts for what he had done. He knew after what he was about to do, there was no way he could return home to his father, no turning back. The sheer fact that he didn't follow in his father's footsteps and deceived the Dark Lord was sure to earn him a very painful death, if he was lucky. After the last few weeks since he had poisoned Harry, or at least believed he had poisoned him, things had changed and flip-flopped so much that Draco was utterly confused and didn't know where he stood anymore. Since the night his father had come to pick him up, Harry's words had stuck with him: he didn't have to live up to what everyone else expected of him. Being one of the first to see the Dark Lord before the actual initiation was to take place, he had immediately revolted against his entire creed. That man who seemed to be so great in his father's eyes, that inexplicably revolting creature that Tom Riddle had become, was not the man that Draco had expected to become a loyal follower of. He realized that this...man...whom the very boy next to him had defeated so many times before, was an abomination. If whatever rubbish Draco had been fed as a child turned out to now be untrue, then what next? Muggles having actual magical capabilities? His whole world was turned upside down, and he couldn't find a foothold anywhere save here. Harry was able to put it all behind him, but what if he couldn't? The guilt inside of him was eating away at his soul, and the pain he was experiencing at the whole reality of it wounded him far worse than anything the Dark Lord could do.  
  
"Do you think he's up?"  
  
Harry put his head to the door, and heard voices inside. He pegged one of the voices as Dumbledore's own, but was unsure of the second voice. "He's up, but there's someone else in there with him. I'm not sure who..." The voices stopped suddenly and Harry pressed his ear harder against the door. It surprised him to find that Draco was doing the same thing.   
  
"Hear anything?"  
  
"N-!"  
  
The door opened suddenly and both boys fell on their backs into the room. Harry was rubbing his head, with Draco doing the same, laying upon the floor when he took notice of Snape looking down on them from above. He had both an annoyed and surprised look upon his face at finding Harry up and about, and both boys at the foot of the door. It had been he who had let them literally drop in. "Professor Snape?"   
  
Draco suddenly went rigid at the mention of his head-of-house. He looked into the infuriated face of Snape and cast his eyes down, which was a hard task being as how they were both currently laying on the floor. His eyes caught the robes of their Headmaster, and out of both curiosity and fear, he looked into the old man's face. What he found was not anger, but sheer amusement. Apparently Dumbledore found the situation very funny.   
  
"Nice to see you up and about, my boy," he said to Harry. "Is there something I can do for you two?" The mirth in his voice took Draco completely by surprise. He was expecting a reprimand of some sort, a scolding, or anything really, but not this. What he got from Snape, however, was quite the contrary. The Potions Master had a rather pissed off look set upon his face for, number one, the finding of one of his house sneaking around outside the Headmaster's door, and two, the fact that he and Harry were apparently together in this. Since when had Potter and Malfoy become friends? Slytherin associating with Gryffindor...how humiliating.  
  
"Sorry Professor Dumbledore," Harry said getting up and brushing himself off. He helped Malfoy pick himself up and they both stood next to one another in a sort of huff. Both Dumbledore and Snape were taken aback by the boys' complaisance to one another. "We had to see you."  
  
Dumbledore motioned them inside and Snape shut the door. "What brings you up here so early on a Saturday morning?"   
  
"The day itself, sir, as a matter of fact."  
  
Dumbledore knew what Harry meant, but wasn't sure what to make of Draco Malfoy being with him. He wasn't sure if it was safe to be discussing such matters in front of a future death eater. Severus' life may be put into jeopardy by discussing it. It wasn't safe.   
  
"Whatever do you mean, my boy?"  
  
Harry looked at Draco, not exactly knowing where to begin. "Sir...what...happened to me by the lake a few days ago, and everything else," he unconsciously looked at Snape. "Well, it's hard to explain, but we think we may have an explanation..." Harry looked at Draco for help. The boy complied, but not without difficulty.   
  
"I...I've done something...incredibly..." Draco's voice started to choke up. He couldn't say such things in front of Snape. He knew the man to be one of the Death Eaters in Voldemort's innermost circle, and admitting what he had done right in front of him would be committing suicide.   
  
"Go on, my boy. You're among friends." Dumbledore's gentle voice did hardly nothing to stop what Draco was feeling. The things that could happen to him, would happen to him, if he told were too close for comfort.   
  
"Professor...I..." He looked to Snape who was waiting patiently for the boy to say what he had to say. But Draco could not bring himself to it. Didn't Dumbledore realize that he had a Death Eater in his midst? He moved closer to Harry and whispered something in his ear much to the disgrace of Snape. This kind of behavior from a Slytherin was totally humiliating.   
  
"Umm...Sir, I think Draco needs a bit of...reassurance. He...He doesn't understand that Professor Snape...uh..." Harry was at a real loss for words, and the death glare, inquisitive in the least, he was getting from Snape didn't seem to help matters. "Sir...I...It has to do with Voldemort..." Harry looked at Snape after saying this, hoping that Dumbledore would catch his drift.  
  
"Ah. I see. Well, Draco my boy, you are in good hands, and as I've said before, among friends. You have nothing to fear here." Dumbledore smiled warmly at Draco and summoned two plush chairs for the boys to sit in. "Please, have a seat."   
  
The boys did as told, but Draco still didn't feel like committing his betrayal right in front of one of Voldemort's most loyal supporters. To think that Dumbledore and Harry didn't even realize it! Despite Dumbledore's reassurances, he still felt like he was playing a deadly game of sorts.   
  
"I-..."   
  
"Oh come out with it boy!" Snape cried out. He didn't like being the subject of secretive discussions at any rate, and he felt he'd rather teach a class full of Longbottoms than to take any more of this suspense.   
  
"No one here will do you any harm, lad."  
  
"It's fine, Draco," Harry said to him quietly. Draco gave his head of house a look of distrust, and Snape hit him back with one of even more malice. Harry leaned over conspiratorially to Draco and whispered in his ear. "He's not who you think he is. It's safe to speak. I give you my word." He leaned back into his chair and waited to see if the other boy believed enough to speak.   
  
With a hard look, Draco murmured something under his breath.   
  
"Speak up, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape's hard voice didn't encourage Draco really, but it was out of fear that he spoke suddenly spoke up.  
  
"I said that...what I've done...it's unforgivable...I-I gave a...a..."  
  
"Yes, Draco?" Dumbledore inquired. The kind-heartedness of the old wizard's voice made Draco feel terrible. How could he betray such a kind voice? How could he bear to tell the old man that he'd given Voldemort one of the most powerful weapons known to wizard-kind?  
  
"Igafawheapintofoldemortsir."  
  
"Slow down, my boy. What was that?"  
  
"I gave Voldemort a...a weapon..."  
  
"What do you mean? What weapon?"  
  
Harry reached behind him into the paper bag which he'd brought in with him."This is part of it, sir." He pulled the shiny metal out of the bag and balanced it on his hand in front of Dumbledore.   
  
Snape walked over to Harry and held out his hand. "Hand it to me, Potter." Harry handed the metal over to Snape, who examined it before handing it to Dumbledore.  
  
"Are you aware of what this is, my boy?"  
  
"Yes...It's a part of the Omnivieve Glass..."  
  
"Where did you get it, Draco?" Snape's voice cut through Draco like ice. He crossed the room back to stand near Draco, imposing his dark form in front of the boy.  
  
Never before had Draco been more scared of his head of house, and now he was sure to receive his payment. "I took it from the original...I didn't give the whole thing to him. I didn't want him to use it to harm more people." He expected his death to come swiftly from the man in front of him. A quick Avada Kadabra if he was at all merciless to one of his own house. But nothing happened. He lifted his eyes to those of the man in front of him, only to see relief and pride shining from those dark orbs. Snape actually seemed proud of him for nicking the metal from Voldemort.  
  
"How did you come upon the Omnivieve Glass, Draco?" Dumbledore leaned forward interestedly and looked Draco square in the eyes. Obviously, Dumbledore knew a lot about whatever this thing was. But where Draco had received it was another story.  
  
"I got it from my father..." Snape gave a snort. He looked hardly surprised at this. "He was cleaning out the stores beneath our house.." Snape stiffened at wondering what else was hidden beneath the Malfoy mansion. Draco thought he would surely face the innermost circle of hell for betraying his father, but he continued anyway. "It's been there for countless generations. It's the way I got the...the bottle that..." Draco cleared his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say 'poisoned'. Harry had already forgiven and forgotten, but he couldn't put these things behind him. How could he live with himself now? "...My father gave me the Glass to present to the Dark Lord when I was to be accepted into the circle. Sons are always received before other recruits, and he wanted me to make a good impression..." He cleared his throat once more, and Dumbledore offered him a glass of water.   
  
"Please, go on."  
  
Harry patted his arm encouragingly. It felt so weird to be 'friends' with an enemy. Draco didn't know what to really make of it, but he knew that things were going to be different from now on, and he didn't know what that would mean to his life.   
  
"Well, I went with my father to the Dark Revel. I was really nervous..." He looked at the Potions Master with shame in his eyes. "...and excited. I approached him for the first time. He took each one of us alone into a room. Some wouldn't come out, and...I was scared." That was an understatement. Frightened beyond death is better. "It was my turn, and I told him I had a gift from my father. I removed it from my coat and gave it to him, only the glass part. I had planned to give it to him in it's two pieces, but seeing him...being there...looking him in those red eyes. I...I kept it."  
  
Snape's eyes flickered to Dumbledore's. They both knew it took some balls to do what Draco had done. If possible, Snape's eyes held a sort of prideful quality to them.  
  
"He didn't even notice, but he was really excited to get just the glass piece. I-I even thought that he might hug me." Draco laughed nervously here even though he was slightly perspiring. The seriousness that overtook the Headmaster's eyes compelled Draco to continue. He wanted his betrayal to be done and over with. "He dismissed me after that. Said I'd see him soon after if the thing worked properly. He made everyone leave after that." He gulped down his water quickly and sat still in his chair waiting for what cards Fate would deal him.   
  
Luckily for him, Dumbledore was a forgiving man.   
  
"What you have done, Draco, is give a very old piece of magic to our Tom Riddle. You see, the Omnivieve Glass was made long ago, before the time of your Salazar Slytherin as a matter of fact." The old man's voice carried the same note as would one who is trying to explain why fire burns to a young child. "The Glass was made to ward off bad magic, in order to protect muggles. Magic was rampant long ago and there was nowhere near as much order then as there is today. It was meant to do away with all evil and everything touched by it. It was meant as a weapon of good in those dark times. But now, Voldemort is trying to use it against it's original purpose. He is attempting to rid the world of all those who oppose him. He used it incorrectly, of course, so it backlashed against him and all those connected to him through his evil ways. He is trying to corrupt it to his own purposes, but it was never meant as an instrument of destruction. And without this vital piece," he held up the silver metal, "he cannot do any evil with it. It will only continue to backlash against him and those connected to him. Unfortunately, that also means ex-Death Eaters. That is why the Omnivieve Glass cannot be used as a weapon, for either the forces of light or dark. It would only serve to do more harm than good. Using it to destroy those connected to him would only result in useless death, many of whom do not deserve such a thing." At this he winked at Harry, who grew progressively pale. So that was what had happened to him. He was feeling the power of the Glass against himself, getting a little taste of death.   
  
"S-sir? How does he control it? Can't it be taken from him?" Harry was a little more than worried by all this. If Voldemort didn't catch on and used the thing to the extreme, wouldn't it result in his death also?  
  
"Fortunate you asked that, Harry. Voldemort is only capable of controlling the Omnivieve Glass as long as he has it on his person. He controls it with his blood. That's the only way for a person to control it. The wizard and the Glass must become as one, but if the blood becomes washed off, or the Glass is broken, then his hold is broken as well. But since he doesn't even have the second part, here, then you don't have to worry about it as much."  
  
Harry was disquieted by this piece of information. The only way to stop Voldemort from using this thing was to retrieve it from him, and it seemed like that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. And if he found out the second piece was being held at Hogwarts, then he would come after it. No matter what way Harry looked at it, he was screwed.   
  
"What about tonight, sir? What will be done tonight?" Harry knew that this was the night that new recruits would be accepted into the circle, and he knew that it meant death for others. Had they even planned anything while he was out? So much had happened in this little space of time, he couldn't be sure.  
  
"Tonight?" Draco asked.  
  
Harry looked at Draco critically, who understood from his eyes what 'tonight' meant.  
  
"There isn't going to be a Revel tonight..." Draco said objectively.  
  
"And how are you so sure of that?" Snape's frigid voice demanded of him.  
  
"Because father said that He was too busy with the Glass to bother with anyone else at the moment..."  
  
Snape cocked his head toward Dumbledore in acknowledgment of Draco's statement. He, too, knew that there would be no meeting this evening due to his experimentation with the glass. Years of service to Voldemort didn't teach him to have to be told to know that.  
  
"And how can you be sure that the Dark Lord does not know that a piece to his new toy is missing, Mr. Malfoy, and that he isn't planning to come looking for your father or you?"  
  
"Because when father gave it to me, it was inside an old oak box. I believe he knew what was in there, but I think other than myself or him, Voldemort does not know that there is a piece missing. And my father is not so stupid as to go and announce such a fact to Him."  
  
Although he did not say anything, it could be told that Snape seemed pleased with Draco's answer. The boy was not as foolish as he had apparently thought.   
  
With the sweet song of the phoenix bird that Dumbledore kept in his office, the four realized that the sun had long since risen into the air and that the morning had begun without them.   
  
"My, my how time flies when you're having fun!" Dumbledore said bringing a sort of finality to the subject. Count on Dumbledore to make the most cheerful thing out of the most dire conversations. "I think we've all worked up a substantial appetite with all this talk, and I do believe that a hearty breakfast is in order." Dumbledore looked at the two boys with he utmost seriousness in his eyes as they got up from their chairs.   
  
"Yes, sir." Harry said. Draco followed him out of the office and onto the stairwell where they were finally left alone to their thoughts. "You realize that none of this can be discussed outside of his office..."  
  
"I'm not a dolt, Potter." Harry smiled at Draco as they descended the stairs. He wasn't about to start calling Harry by his first name, but it was all for the better. If they started acting all buddy-buddy, people might realize something was up.   
  
Reaching the bottom steps, Draco panicked and stopped. He felt like the word 'betrayer' was written all over him. His Slytherin brethren would eat him alive "I don't think I can do this..."  
  
"Yes, you can. Things are different know, but you can adjust." Harry started to walk down the stairwell, and felt Draco grip his shoulder from behind. He turned his head back to look at Draco. For such a cocky little prat, he was really just like any other scared kid. "You can do it. It's the first step towards your freedom." He let Draco hold onto him as they exited the stairs and stood in front of the statue. "You know, you can let go of me now..."   
  
Draco realized he was still gripping him, rather hard, on the shoulder. Some part of his old self was saying to him 'eww...I have Potter cooties'. He removed his hand, but only a second too late.  
  
Almost instantaneously, a curse impacted his body.  
  
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Well, I can only hope that that chapter pleased you. It was a real bitch to write,what with All Hallows Eve and such. I was a pirate wench:) I got 12lbs of candy! Ha ha! This was the best haul yet! It's all straight to thighs-ville! You're never too old to trick or treat! :) But anyways, what do you guys think about my Malfoy? For this story, I know my Malfoy is pretty OOC, and i really hope that it doesn't eff it up, but he sorta has to be out of bastardness to go along with my storyline, or at least this chapter. Anyway, i hope you weren't going 'ehhh' with this last one. well, at least not too much.   
  
On another note, you can see when I expect the next updates to take place by viewing my bio. I update it every week under RECENT to tell when i expect new chapters, stories, or if there will be any delays, so...yeah:) =^..^= And now to get to you I treasure so dearly!  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Yes, I prefer to call my craziness 'eccentricity'. So I'm not crazy, I'm eccentric:) But yeah, I didn't think Harry could get away with too much from Snape. Afterall, he did just save his life from blinking outta existence...He's a bastard, but he does what is right, and that why we love him :) =^..^=  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Yeah, he does what he has too. Bet he was pissed that the points weren't really deducted from Gryffindor though, huh? I'll keep goin' jus' for you!  
  
Arizosa: "Cool in the best universal majestic way"? You flatter me immensly! Glad I'm good at these crazy scenes. I always think I tend to overdo it.   
  
Katani Petitedra: Watch it, man. Blenders may look friendly, but they're close friends with toasters:)  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: YES! I'm inventive! The artiste in me luuuvsss to hear that! :) I'm glad you think i do such an excellent job at building tension! I usually think I'm overdoin' it, like 'oh no! Not -another- scene like this!' Good thing I'm apparently not:) I'm really pleased you like my action sequences! I have a lot of things planned for this story, so it gives me hope that I won't be overdoing anything :) =^..^= Thank you! 


	15. The Irritated Nurse

*waves new chapter in air as ducking flying objects* Okay, so I've currently raised my AP Economics grade, and that can be accredited to the fact that I haven't been writing in a while, so in my current good humor, I've decided to whip this chappie out. You guys have won the standoff:) *offers chappie as peace offering, then gets her butt outta there* Okay, well, as always, please review!  
  
Chapter 15- The Irritated Nurse  
  
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"RON! NO!"  
  
Harry was too late. The curse that hit Draco sent him flying into the air. It was a hard curse, the Saxummobilius curse, that flew at a person as hard as a ton of bricks. Rather sharp bricks. Harry would have been impressed with such a difficult curse on Ron's part if it had been under different circumstances. Past circumstances.   
  
"Harry! Gods are you okay?!" Hermione and Ron came huffing up to him from the thankfully deserted corridor, their footfalls echoing off the cold stone. Harry, however, did not answer them at once, but was on his knees inspecting the bloody and unconscious form of Malfoy on the floor. A great wave of frustration overcame him.   
  
"What are you thinking, Ron?!" Ron looked taken aback at Harry, who was hunched over Malfoy in a seemingly caring matter. Didn't he realize he had almost been attacked by Malfoy? Even Hermione herself looked bewildered.  
  
"Harry...? Are you okay? What's going on?" For the smartest girl in the school, Hermione could not understand what she was seeing before her eyes.   
  
"I-I- Ron! Just what was going through your head?!" Harry couldn't leave it alone. His plan to start changing things in his life was already shattering before his eyes like so many pieces of glass. He checked Draco's pulse and tried to find the source of the blood that had somehow made it's way onto Harry's hands. Little to say, he was scared.  
  
"What are you talking about?! Are you -blind-? That's Malfoy on the floor in front of you-!"  
  
"I'm well aware of who it is, Ron!!" Harry was yelling at this point. He was so agitated by Ron's actions that he didn't care who heard, which was good as there were several heads poking out from behind corridor walls. Today the early risers were rewarded with first breakfast choice and a show.  
  
"-He was going to attack you! We both saw him!!" Ron's face was starting to match the color of his hair from anger. He had just saved Harry from an attack, hadn't he?  
  
"He wasn't doing anything to me! Gods, Ron! What in the he-!"  
  
"POTTER! What the devil is going on here!?!" The imposing form of Severus Snape had made itself present in the stairwell behind Harry. His already incensed countenance took on an enraged look at the sight of the bloody, unconscious Slytherin lying upon the floor in front of him.   
  
Harry stood up off the floor, trying to do some quick thinking. Angry or not, he wasn't about to sell out Ron. "Sir, it was an accident." Harry still, however, shot Ron a nasty look. A look which Snape, regrettably, caught, but didn't call. "Draco needs to go to the hospital right away."  
  
Snape leered at Harry, and glared suspiciously at Ron. "Take him to the wing, Potter, and do not leave until I fetch you." Ron's jaw dropped. No points taken? No punishments? Who was this man and what had he done with Snape?   
  
Harry cast a levitation spell on Draco and made to go to the hospital wing, but not without a fleeting glimpse at Ron and Hermione. They made to follow, but were stopped by Snape's cold voice. "Both of you to my office. NOW." He swept off down the corridor rather pissed at the fact that he wouldn't be receiving his breakfast anytime soon. Hermione looked exasperatedly at Ron. By the sound of the snickers and gossip around them, the incident was sure to be around the school by the time breakfast was over.  
  
***********  
  
"Can you hear me? Draco?" Harry kept talking to his levitating charge as he made his way back to the hospital wing. As he passed the odd number of people here and there, he found himself faced with either horrified or thrilled looks. One did not see a Slytherin like Malfoy bloodied up and unconscious in the hands of Harry Potter everyday. Several underclass Hufflepuffs he passed looked at him with both fear and respect, and ran off chittering with gossip. //What did I get myself into?// The footfalls of the little Hufflepuffs were fading as soon as new ones made themselves present.  
  
"Harry! Wow! You're alright! I've been looking for- Whoa..." Fred stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of the bloodied Malfoy currently in Harry's possession. His cheerful smile quickly disappeared from his face, only to be replaced with an even larger grin. "I see. You've been out settling scores."  
  
"No, actually. Ron did this. I've got to get him to the hospital wing." Harry took his charge and continued on his way. Fred jogged to keep up with his quick pace.  
  
"Are you serious?! I never thought ickle-Ronnie had it in him! Well, it's about time the prat got what was coming to him. But when did you escape Madam Pomfrey's claws? We all came down to see you this morning but you weren't even there. We've been looking all over the place."  
  
"I had some things to take care of," he huffed out. Things were not going the way he had intended them to.   
  
"Oh yeah?" He grinned down once more at Malfoy.  
  
"Look, can we talk later or something? Snape will be coming to fetch me later, and I don't think he's in the best of moods."  
  
"I'd bet my last Filibuster on that! Look at his precious little Slytherin! He's got to be wetting himself with rage!" Fred started to laugh at his joke, and Harry had to admit that even under the given circumstances, it was rather funny. "I'm going to go find ickle-Ronnie! This calls for a celebration. See you at breakfast, Harry!" With that said, he sped off down the hall, nearly knocking over a fourth year Ravenclaw, to find his brother.   
  
//This isn't something that should be celebrated//  
  
Malfoy groaned and Harry closed the distance between him and the hospital wing. "Draco? Can you hear me? Are you awake?" All he received was groans in response. Pushing open the door, he levitated him into the hospital and onto a vacant bed. "Draco?"  
  
"HARRY POTTER! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Like a banshee in flight, Madam Pomfrey swooped down upon him in a way that would have put Snape to shame.   
  
"I-I mean, me and Draco- I left you a note-"  
  
"BE BACK SOON?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY-" She registered Draco's limp form on the bed in front of her and the nurse's instinct kicked in. "What happened here, Potter?"  
  
"He was hit with a Saxummobilius curse..." Madam Pomfrey gave him an accusing look. "I didn't do it, it was an accident. We were outside of Professor Dumbledore's office when it happened." Another suspicious look. "We had to go and see him. We chose to go."  
  
Madam Pomfrey gave Harry another speculative look. He was avoiding telling her who had performed the curse, but by the type of it, she guessed it to be at least a sixth year. But the caster was hardly important as she felt around the bloodied robes on Draco's form. He whimpered a few times, and she removed them to obtain a better view. "He's got three broken ribs. And deep cuts as well."  
  
She was still angry for her charge slipping out of the hospital without her knowing. The curse that got this boy might have been intended for Harry. What was the boy thinking? She had been so worried. He could have had another episode like before, and she hadn't even a chance to check him over before he left. She was afraid he might have passed out again somewhere while he was gone, and for The-Boy-Who-Lived, that was a very dangerous prospect indeed.   
  
"What did you think you were doing out of bed so early, Potter? Didn't it occur to you that something may have happened to you?" The anger in her voice was still there, but it had a slight curb to it as she was absorbed in her skill.   
  
"I'm sorry, but I had to see Professor Dumbledore-"  
  
"Right then?!"  
  
"Yes, we both did."  
  
"So Mr. Malfoy was already here too?" She was getting angered at her own inability to keep her hospital in order anymore. What was it with these kids? Did they enjoy the hospital that much? Was it 'hip' now? //Kids...//  
  
"Yes." He watched as she began to expertly bandage up Draco's ribs after applying a healing salve to it. "Is he going to be alright?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey gave Harry a calculating look. Had he suffered a brain-hemorrhage? "He'll be fine. Why the sudden interest in Mr. Malfoy's health, Potter?"  
  
"I don't know. Why not?"  
  
She finished dressing Draco's wounds and went back to her stores to retrieve a few potions. "Sit down upon -your- bed, Potter. I think you'll be habitating here awhile longer."   
  
Harry did as was told, expecting another berating to come, if not from Madam Pomfrey, then surely from Snape. He hadn't forgotten about him. //Why today of all days?// Madam Pomfrey reappeared, looking as pissed as she was before.  
  
"I want you to drink this, all of it, and then tell me how you feel." She handed Harry a vial of orange liquid, and even with his suspicions that she was so pissed she would poison him, he drank it. "How do you feel?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess the same as I just did. Maybe a little better?"  
  
"Good. That means you're healthy, and lucky thing for you, too, or else you'd be feeling incredible stabbing pains." Harry's mouth dropped open. He hoped she was kidding, that she was joking and this was her way of revenge. "Close your mouth Mr. Potter."  
  
"Are...are you..."  
  
"Serious? Yes. But even though you have a clean bill of health, I expect to see you every evening for three weeks, do you understand?"  
  
"Yes." Harry wondered if this was unofficial detention for leaving the wing. Why bother seeing him if he was completely healthy?  
  
Malfoy groaned and Madam Pomfrey administered a potion that caused him to stop stirring. His bones wouldn't heal for awhile as was the purpose of the Saxummobilius curse. His healing would be painful indeed, and the best she could do was to keep him asleep.  
  
Harry laid down back on -his- bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting for the time Snape would come to 'fetch him'. He wanted breakfast. And to see Ron and Hermione. He had a lot of explaining to do. Especially to Ron. As Fred had told him, they were all just worried about him when they couldn't find him. And he -was- supposed to be back in Gryffindor Tower by now. No wonder. Ron probably assumed that Draco -was- going to attack him. //He didn't know that things are different now...//  
  
With that thought, a wave of guilt washed over Harry. He wished he hadn't gotten so mad at Ron. He was only protecting his friend. //Oh Gods can this day get any worse?!//   
  
With the magic words which you should never speak being said, Snape walked into the hospital looking both pissed and...well...hungry. The day had only begun, and already this was Harry's third encounter with Snape.  
  
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That was chapter 15. What more is there to really say? Don't worry, Snape isn't going to eat Harry:) He just wants his bloody breakfast! Okay, as always, please review. Nice, big, juicy reviews:) If you guys like or hate something, I really need to know. I'm runnin' dry here!   
  
Oh yeah, if you'd like to see anything, and it's reasonably within my doing and plotline, go ahead and request:) =^..^= it helps me to write better if I know what you want:) I've already done it more than once, so....there! But don't feel bad if I don't because...well...that would really suck.  
  
Arizosa: Well, at least it didn't stink up the pace too bad:) But yeah, it's gonna be hard for Draco to adjust his bastardness to the Potter-side. That's a lot of bastardness to sort through =^..^=  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: I'm glad you liked my Draco. I still don't, but oh well. That's like the only chapter where I get some depth into Draco's character, so we'll just see how he progresses. And he sort of -is- like a little boy. He still has petty issues with muggles and 'mudbloods', and he did actually think "potter cooties", so, yeah. I dunno, but he has a lot of expectations to live up to, and decided he didn't want to. I played his character around with the way I believe things went down for Snape when he revolted from the Death Eaters. My belief is that he had similar feelings and such, and went through much the same that Draco currently is, and that's what I'm workin' around. But anyway, ramble all ya want:) I simply looovvee long reviews. hey, as long as you're faithful, it's all good! *stares viciously at all other potential authors that seek you out* And punishment time is coming next chapter. Hee hee hee...I know, I'm rambling now:)  
  
ForceofHobbit: You are so out of the band! I gave you the take-home version, you left-whore! Ha, this one is for your mother!! MUHUHAHAHA! You and Your goat-space-alien mother!  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: At least you like my Draco. yeah, I know they're not completely buddy-buddy, but I think I still made them too friendly. I mean, harry may have put things behind him, but Draco is another story. He still has to deal with his father and basically, his whole life up to this point. So happy you like my chappie! I also hate those stories where they become all buddy-buddy too quick. But that's what I think I did, so I'm kinda wary for now when I write Draco, that's why he spent this one unconscious:) 


	16. A Price Too Big

Well, the trailers for the Prisoner of Azkaban are out now, as you all may know, and I simply adore them. But have you seen Draco's hair?! What did they do to him? I mean, what were they exactly trying to accompl-  
  
  
  
*is clonked on the head by large piece of metal*   
  
Draco: That outta show you! What it is? Bash on me month?! First you put me through all this guilt, then I get no speaking lines last chapter, and now you're insulting my hair?!   
  
FireValkyrie: *is unconscious*  
  
Draco: MUHUHAHAHA!   
  
FireValkyrie: .......  
  
Draco: Now time to exact some revenge! *tries to think up something good*  
  
FireValkyrie: *wakes up as Draco is plotting* *is rather pissed off*  
  
Draco: ...and then I tie her in the dungeons-  
  
FireValkyrie: You stupid prat!  
  
Draco: GAH!   
  
FireValkyrie: Now I'm glad about what I did to you!  
  
Draco: It's 'cause I'm a Slytherin, isn't it?!  
  
FireValkyrie: So am I, moron! Now get back into that hospital bed!  
  
Draco: FINE!  
  
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A/N: Draco is a prat.  
  
Draco: No I'm not!!  
  
A/N: A whiny prat.  
  
Okay, here ya go. Sorry about that.   
  
Chapter 16- A Price Too Big  
  
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Snape strode straight into the hospital wing past Harry to Draco's bed where he examined the boy with a smug expression. He seemed to be in a slightly better humor, most likely due to the fact that Ron had just received a month's detention with Filch and another month of cauldron cleaning with himself, and as of now, Gryffindor was forty points poorer. Harry wasn't sure if he should address the man or not.  
  
"Pretty fast work for your first day out, Potter. Not even Longbottom could have provoked such chaos." Snape straightened up from Draco's bed and looked at Harry with a hard expression, as if trying to decipher something. Only he could turn someone's name into an insult.   
  
"It was an accident."  
  
"Was it?" His icy voice suggested otherwise. Harry stayed silent. He wasn't going to play another battle of wits with Snape. It wasn't worth it.  
  
"Severus? What are you doing here again? Haven't you haunted my hospital enough in these past few days?" Madam Pomfrey poked her head out from behind a curtain. "Really, what is it with you kids and this hospital?" Snape glared at her, but it went wasted as her sole concern became examining Draco.   
  
"When can he leave?" his ice-voice demanded.   
  
"Oh, he won't be leaving this bed for at least two weeks. And you won't be removing him anytime sooner than that, Severus. That was a nasty little curse he got-"  
  
"Not Malfoy, Potter."  
  
Harry looked calculatingly at Snape. So his time had come.  
  
Madam Pomfrey turned her head in Harry's direction. "He can leave, Severus, but he has to see me every evening for the next three weeks. I'm going to know if you wear him out or not."  
  
//Wear me out?! What's she talking about? Is that why she's making me come and see her every night?//  
  
"Then you shall see." He turned curtly and made to exit the hospital. "Come with me, Potter."  
  
With barely a glance at Madam Pomfrey, Harry sprang off his bed and after Snape. Not knowing what terrible things awaited him was bad, but not following Snape's instructions were worse.   
  
He had to run to catch up with Snape's long strides, and once he did, he made to question the great Potions Master. "Sir..."  
  
"Our training sessions are to resume as scheduled, Potter."   
  
"The training?" They passed a Ravenclaw on their way to, what Harry assumed, was the Great Hall.  
  
"Quiet, foolish boy!" Snape glared at the Ravenclaw that consequently hurried his way off.   
  
Harry looked hopefully at a Dractnox. It seemed like forever since he had last -successfully- spoken to them, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to start communing again anytime soon. Life was a lot more difficult since he had had raw information at his fingertips- and lost it. It was like losing a part of his being, and he hated not being able to apply control. He knew he held a great power within him now, but the last time he had tried to use it, it had almost destroyed him. With this thought in mind, he turned his head to look at the man beside him. Had it not been for he-who-was-currently-pissed at Harry, and the mind tricks he had played, he would be gone.   
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Quiet, Potter, or I'll deduct fifty points." Snape was obviously not in the mood for conversation. Yet despite his words, Harry grinned. It had been a systematic point-taking that had saved his life.  
  
This good humor Harry was currently in was cut short as soon as they reached the Great Hall. He should have known he couldn't get off with Snape so easily.   
  
"Your detentions are to take place starting this evening, Potter." Snape's frosty voice intoned. "And should you be late, Gryffindor will pay the penalty." With this said, or sneered, Snape stalked off to the head table for his breakfast. Harry was left behind with a confused expression and the stares of his classmates.   
  
//Detentions?! Surely he means the training. Maybe I'm supposed to say I have detention every evening...//  
  
"Harry!" Hermione signaled him over to her and he sat down at the table, trying to ignore all the stares. Ron was picking at his breakfast with paltry interest, looking like a puppy whom had been severely scolded. The Gryffindor table seemed a little too happy this morning. Except for the big grin he received from Neville, Harry tried to ignore all the eyes he felt boring into his back. "So you've noticed the stares as well."  
  
"Yeah..."   
  
News always spread fast around Hogwarts, and the sudden appearance of Harry after so many days of absence, coupled with Ron's latest exploit, was more than enough to earn stares from any and all.   
  
"Neville's made three galleons off of Ernie Macmillian because of you." Harry frowned. Was that what he was so happy about? "Ernie bet that your 'Blinkerbug bite' had turned you into one. Foolish if you ask me, but Neville's won the bet, and he's more than glad."  
  
"They bet on me?"  
  
"Everyone's been worried, Harry. Especially after this morning." She lowered her voice. "Fred's been telling everyone about what Ron did." Harry cast his eyes towards Ron. He didn't look too happy. "You have some explaining to do, Harry."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Snape took both of us to his office after you took Malfoy to the hospital," her voice betrayed a note of resentfulness, "that's why we didn't follow you. Snape was going to give us both a detention, but Ron took it. Ron took the blame for everything. He convinced Snape that I had nothing to do with it and he took it all." Her voice, although quiet, clearly reflected the pride she felt in Ron. It made harry feel all the worse for having put them in that position in the first place.  
  
"He has double detention?"  
  
"Two months. One with Snape, and one with Filch. We've also lost forty house points."   
  
Harry looked around at his fellow Gryffindors. Despite the current loss of points, and the staring, they seemed rather cheery. Hermione had an answer for that, too.  
  
"Nobody can believe that Malfoy finally got what he deserved. Ron's been deemed a hero, and Fred's going to throw a party in Gryffindor Tower later."  
  
"Ron doesn't seem too happy about it..."  
  
"Neither do you. What's going on, Harry? Why won't you tell us?"  
  
Ron pushed his plate away and got up from the table. "I'll be in the tower..."  
  
"Okay, Ron. I'll see you up there later, alright?" Hermione tried to act cheerful, but she knew he was hurting inside and nothing she could say, or had already said, could seem to change that.  
  
"Hm..." He left the table like one setting off for his own execution.   
  
"Is he alright, Hermione?"  
  
"Of course he isn't. He's fit to be tied, Harry. We both are. It's obvious that something's going on with you, and you won't even tell us what it is. We've been worried sick about you!" Her voice lowered even more, but the concern, and anger, were still prominent. "And what about Malfoy, Harry? This whole morning has been one big mess after another. Ron's been worrying himself silly, and I know he tries to hide it, but we're both concerned about you, and we want to help you through whatever it is you're dealing with. Why won't you let us?!"  
  
Harry looked around at all the eyes still interested in him. "Not here, Hermione-"  
  
"Then where? When, Harry?!"  
  
"It's difficult-"   
  
"Then let me help! You know I'm good with difficult thing, so let me help. Please, Harry. Stop shutting me out and let me help you."  
  
Harry looked long and hard at his friend, and spent an equal amount of time studying the woodwork of the table. Hermione's brown eyes revealed a hunger for whatever secret he was keeping, and an even greater desire to help him.   
  
//Dumbledore said that there would be consequences...Last time I didn't listen to him, -I- almost died. What about them? What if-//  
  
"Harry, please. You know we can handle whatever it is. We've been through so much together already, all three of us. There's nothing we can't handle if we do it together, so please. If not for me, do it for Ron. He deserves your trust more than anyone I know."  
  
It was killing Harry to not give in to her request, but he was sure that if he did, it may result in the death one of them, and he couldn't bear that.  
  
"Hermione...it's not worth your life just so you can know. I can't put you or Ron in that kind of a position. I never could...You know I could never do that to you knowing what might happen..."  
  
"Harry..."  
  
"Please, Hermione, don't ask me again."  
  
"Harry..." Her eyes were brimming with tears, and she had to run out of the Great Hall before she spilled them that morning at the Gryffindor table.   
  
Harry received several inquiring looks, but he ignored them and left. He cursed the day he'd ever set eyes upon the Dractnox, and cursed the boy who had brought such a fate upon him. a fate he had never wanted, and had never asked for, yet so ironically received.   
  
He was walking on anger with the intention of fixing everything that had ever gone wrong with his life. He didn't realize until he was upon its great doors that his feet had carried him to the hospital wing; the very wing where his troubles had all started, and where they could all be ended; the very wing where the boy who had initiated everything was currently being held, unconscious, defenseless, and helpless.  
  
*********************************  
  
Yes, I know, a rather poignant, emotional chapter. But what are ya gonna do? The Cliffhanger Queen is back once more! I was going to let Harry tell Hermione, but this just makes things a bit more interesting. I'm in a cruel mood, and decided that this would make for an interesting twist. As always, leave me juicy reviews...I know I would.  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Yay! *I* got a rambling response! I simply loove these long reviews...or responses or whatever you wanna call 'em. Glad you liked my curse. I use it on my sister all the- Wha? You weren't supposed to hear that...But yay! I'm glad I can properly work around my obstacles! Yeah, Draco won't change completely. My guess is that he'd turn out to be someone like Snape...or a swanky nightclub owner:) He is rich, afterall. And I like to believe that my Madam Pomfrey is based off of how she hates it when people won't leave her hospital alone. She thinks it must be 'hip'. Either that, or the children are really irresponsible dolts. And Harry *is* sort of being punished by Snape, but the man does have faith in him and his abilities, but he'd probably cut out his own tongue before admiting it. And don't you worry about the twins. Ron threw that firework at Fred when he was *asleep*, so many chapters ago, remember? You don't really think I'd forget about that, do you? *rubs her hands in diabolical planning* Oh yes.....  
  
Anne: Yay! Yet another long review!! You love my story? Hurray! I love it when my fic provokes so many different...and interesting responses:) But yeah, Draco won't go back completely evil, I couldn't do that. Harry will speak to the Dractnoxes soon. I promise. I take Latin too, so it makes writing the story a lot more fun and easy. So much of JKR's stuff revolves around Latin that I think i'm definately in the right place=^..^=  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Glad you don't think they're too buddy-buddy. I want to try and avoid any jumpings of the gun. But it makes me so happy that you like what I'm doing. It's all worth it to hear that :D And I feel simply delighted that you liked my latest chappie! It's good that you think Ron's character is reacting properly. That means I've hopefully been keeping him in character. I've updated especially for you:)  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: I always look forward to reading your reviews! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside every single time:) It's great that you're still enjoying it! I haven't bored you silly yet? Excellent. I hope I'm inventive so that that doesn't happen, or else, well...I don' really know, but yeah. I feel simply elated to hear that it's different than other fics out there. I often see the same thing over and over again, so I'm glad this storyline hasn't been played out yet:) And to say I keep JKR's original flavor? *faints with delight* I may have to quote you on that:D And my dry sense of humor? You mean you're not wetting your pants in hilarity? Hmmm...But seriously, I've never been called that, so what exactly does that mean? It's a compliment, i hope=^..^= I'll update anytime for you!!  
  
Katani Petitedra: Well, I suppose in the Severus Snape sense, Draco is rather nice now, huh? Happy Happy Happy Happy!! 


	17. Mind Tricks

Hello? *Pff-pff* Is this thing on? Well, I'd like to thank those who -did- review this chappie *cough ParanoiaIn2005Charmed_103KataniPetitedraArizosaAnne cough* Do you think I should get that checked? I've had such a terrible cough all week... Have I done something wrong? That's it, now I have to spice things up. That burning, terrible spicing. It's all your fault. Okay, stay with me for this and all shall be explained. Flame, review, just gimme some feedback! *ducks for safety behind a large couch where Snape is reclining ever so languidly* Hey, I'll have to hide after what I'm gonna put you through, and he's the only shield I trust *resumes hiding behind Snape who really has no idea what is going on*  
  
Chapter 17- Mind Tricks  
  
  
  
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Harry stood both incensed and dumbfounded before the hospital wing doors. His mind, clouded with rage and fury, was confused as to what exactly he was doing there. His heart, on the other hand, knew exactly what it wanted, and it was keen on destruction.  
  
He shook his head slightly and leaned against the wall to try and fend off the nausea and vertigo his rage brought on. He had to slide down the wall, trying to fight it, so he could finish what he had set out to start. A frightened Hufflepuff ran past Harry in the hall on his way to breakfast.   
  
Harry glared at the third year with malice, who hurried on ever more. If not for the anger that currently spurned him on, he would never have been able to reach inside his robes and retrieve his wand. Harry stared at a Dractnox with derision through nausea-blurred eyes, and fought his way back up the wall. It knew what he was up to, and Harry didn't care.   
  
`Hearing the retreating footsteps of the Hufflepuff, he watched to make sure the child was gone. Good. He didn't want witnesses.   
  
With fire in his eyes and the blackest night in his heart, Harry stood and entered the hospital with full omnipotence.   
  
Madam Pomfrey was the first to be assailed by this new madness coursing through Harry's veins as she was hit with a paralyzing spell, sending her flailing over her medical supplies and falling to the floor. The crystal crashing of bottles as they hit hard stone were like music to Harry's ears. Madam Pomfrey lay motionless in a heap on the floor, and it gave Harry some strange satisfaction and exhilaration. His heart beat fast with the thrill of what he had done, savoring this new feeling...this new freedom.  
  
It was as if some new force was driving him now, urging him on to greater heights. It felt good not to be responsible for his actions and let his inhibitions free. And he knew it would feel even better once he had destroyed the root to all this secrecy and madness.   
  
He side-stepped Madam Pomfrey's paralyzed body and approached Draco's bed. Glass crunched beneath his feet as he came right up alongside the bed.  
  
Draco's eyes were closed, either sleeping or unconscious, and he was fully defenseless and utterly helpless in such a state. It was a perfect state, as a matter of fact, for Harry to carry out Draco's sentencing; one that had come to him through the actions Draco had put Harry through for so many years of his life, as well as the most recent.   
  
Harry glared disdainfully at a Dractnox, who gave him an equally scornful look. It obviously knew what Harry had in mind, and it also obviously disapproved.   
  
//Try to stop me// he mentally challenged. But it couldn't. Dractnoxes couldn't do anything to change possible futures or outcomes, but could only convey information, and Harry knew this. Nothing was going to stop him in obtaining his goal, and that would be the death of the only Malfoy heir.   
  
"I hope you've enjoyed your life up to now," Harry stated icily "because you're about to join the ranks of death." Draco didn't move, nor did Harry. He laughed once for the irony of his statement. The humor of it that Draco shouldn't join Death Eaters only to join death was very funny in his twisted mind. The malice he felt was like none other, and the desire to kill was so strong in him. He was considering which way he should do it to Draco. The fire burning through his veins set his mind aflame with ideas of how it could be done, yet none seemed fitting.   
  
//-Use an Unforgivable-//  
  
"Yes, that would be perfect." Harry's eyes gleaned in anticipation of it all. He wanted to savor the moment and get out of this accursed institution, taking many for the side of light with him. "Malfoy, wake up." He wanted the boy to be awake as he carried out his business. He wanted to cherish the sight of death upon his brow. "Malfoy! Wake up!" He prodded the sleeping boy who's eyes fluttered in an attempt to open.   
  
"Potter?"  
  
"You're about to die, and I want you to tell me how you feel." The echo of evil in his voice was enough to shock Draco awake.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Harry withdrew his wand and pointed it at Draco's face.   
  
"You're about to die. Any questions?"  
  
"What are you playing at, Potter?" Draco saw Madam Pomfrey sprawled dead on the floor. "Oh Gods-"  
  
"Oh yes."  
  
Draco started screaming at the top of his lungs for help, realizing the reality of the situation, but none seemed to arrive. Harry cast an annoyed look at Draco.  
  
"Finished?"  
  
"...Why?"  
  
"Enough of this. It's your time now, Draco. Say hello to mum for me."  
  
//...what is this...//  
  
"Avada-"  
  
//...What am I doing?...//  
  
"Kad-"  
  
//...This isn't me...//  
  
"-abra!"  
  
The curse hit Draco with the force of a gale wind, passing through his being and taking the life out with it. His body was still and unmoving on the bed in a cruel imitation of sleep.   
  
Draco was dead.  
  
"Ha!" Harry began to laugh with true hate. Everything else seemed drained from his being. "Ha! Ha Ha HA!"  
  
//...No...it's not me...//  
  
"HA HA HA HA!"  
  
//...it's not right...//  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
//NO! DRACO NO!//  
  
`  
  
***********  
  
"NoNoNo!!"   
  
Harry grasped at his head in pain before the hospital wing doors. He was still on the wall, wand in hand. He could hear retreating footsteps leaving the hallway, and saw the robes of that same Hufflepuff he had seen earlier...or was seeing for the first time.  
  
"Wha-?" He was panting heavily in mental anguish. This was not deja vu he was experiencing. //What's happening to me?// As if in response, a Dractnox circled him with that glowing expression in his eyes. //Was it real?// What he had seen really happened, hadn't it? Yet here he was, where he had started out, in front of the hospital.   
  
Fear seized him and he popped up, rushing into the hospital wing.   
  
"MR. POTTER! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Madam Pomfrey's surprise was evident as she screeched at Harry. He had almost knocked her down in his fervor to get to Draco.  
  
"Is he alright?!?! Is Draco okay?!?!"  
  
"He's fine, Mr. Potter! You know he is! What's wrong with you?!" She put a hand to Harry's flustered forehead.   
  
"I mean, is he really okay?!" Harry was checking Draco for a pulse and breath and anything else that would prove he was living and okay.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Potter! Control yourself," she said having to forcibly move him away from Draco. "What is the matter with you? Are you having a reaction to that potion? How do you feel?"  
  
"I'm just- Is he -really- okay?!"   
  
Harry's immense concern for the Slytherin under her care was bringing about worries in Madam Pomfrey's head. //The potion I gave him must be having adverse effects...But Albus said it would help the poor boy...//   
  
True, the potion she had given Harry only a little earlier that morning was experimental, but both Severus and Albus had assured her that it would help the boy 'concentrate', whatever that was supposed to mean. She knew it had something to do with the boy's constant headaches and his habitation in her hospital, thus having something to do with the Dark Lord.   
  
"Mr. Potter, please remove yourself from Mr. Malfoy's body and have a seat." Harry shuddered. Her use of 'body' wasn't at all a comforting indicator.  
  
Madam Pomfrey removed her wand from her robes and passed it over Harry's wearied body. Frowning, she repeated the process and put her wand away.   
  
"Care to tell me what's troubling you so, Mr. Potter?" She couldn't find anything wrong with Harry, except for the fact that he was distressed, and that in itself was troubling to her. She didn't want any more surprises than she had already had with this single Gryffindor.   
  
Harry bit his lip. He wasn't sure if he should disclose such information to Madam Pomfrey. As far as he knew, the only ones knowledgeable of his current ailments, or abilities, if you will, were Snape and Dumbledore, and he didn't want to start a panic of sorts.  
  
"I...just wanted to make sure Draco was alright. Th-that was a pretty nasty curse." It was taking more strength than Harry currently had to say those words. His voice was faltering, and he didn't want to alert the nurse.   
  
"Mr. Potter, you're telling me that you ran in here like a bat out of hell in concern for Mr. Malfoy's well-being?"  
  
"Y-yes..." She put her hand up to Harry's forehead once more. It was obvious she didn't believe him. "May I go? I need to see Professor Snape. Now."  
  
If alarms were going off in her head before, then these words threw up the red flags. The boy was in good with Slytherins all of a sudden? If something strange wasn't going on inside of this castle, she swore she'd eat her wand.   
  
"You may go, but remember to come and see me tonight, and to take it easy. I don't want you as a permanent resident, Mr. Potter."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am." Harry darted out of the hospital wing and headed for the dungeons. He knew Snape never spent much time in the Great Hall, even if he really had wanted his breakfast. If anyone knew what was happening in Harry's head, it would be his current trainer and professor, if not the headmaster himself.  
  
It took a minute or two, but at the speed he was going, Harry made it down to the dungeons. With supreme importance, he rushed into the potions class and straight to Snape's desk. The Potions Master was surprised in the least, if one could say that about Snape, of the intrusion upon his lair.  
  
"I believe, Mr. Potter, that one knocks before entering a room. Ten points from Gryffindor for impertinence. You are also far too early for your lessons," he sneered, utterly annoyed with the boy. He was mixing a cauldron of something rather foul-smelling which Harry didn't care to know about.  
  
"I-" Harry gulped and panted. //Maybe running all the way down here was a bad idea// "I-I...need...your help." He was trying to catch his breath, and by some courteous act of God, Snape conjured a glass of water for the boy. Harry took it graciously and gulped it down, receiving a revolted glare from Snape. There was no pleasing the man. "I need your help with something, Sir."  
  
"Spit it out already, Potter."  
  
"Sir, I saw something. I'm not sure if it was real or if it was a hallucination or what, but I experienced it just the same."  
  
Snape had a calculating scowl on his face and moved his cauldron off the flame. It had only been, what, maybe half an hour since he had talked to the boy last? Had the Dark Lord done something to him? Had the boy attempted to speak with the Dractnoxes, and had seen something as a result? There were so many possibilities.  
  
"What did you see, Potter?"  
  
"Well, I was...angry...with everything. With Draco having made me this way, and everything that's come with it. I hate everything that's happened to me, and what it's doing to my life and my friends and...I'm not proud of it...I went to the hospital wing..." Snape recalled Harry leaving the Great Hall at breakfast. He considered for a moment the detentions he had given the Weasley boy that morning. "I-I...I was going to..." Harry couldn't tell the Head of Slytherin that he had set out to kill one of his own. "I had an idea that...Draco was powerless and I was going to..."  
  
"You set out to kill him, Potter. Just say it." It was only too easy for Snape to guess. It was the ideal setting one would have as a Death Eater to destroy an enemy; to have them incapacitated for an easy kill. This thought alone put him on edge; he never would've guessed the Potter boy to have some Slytherin in him, and that unnerved him.  
  
Harry's eyes were on the floor. This was becoming progressively harder than he had thought. "I wanted to kill him, to have him pay for what he's done to me...I should never have even thought it...he was just laying there helpless and..." Harry's throat filled with bile as shame torn through him mercilessly. His eyes stayed stuck on the floor. "I was right outside the doors, and I felt really sick, and after it had passed, I went inside and...I...I killed him..."   
  
Snape went rigid. He had thought the boy was telling him something he had seen, not something he had done, nor coming to him for help against a murder. "You don't have it in you, Potter. It was a hallucination." His voice betrayed his doubt, and he locked eyes with the Gryffindor, not allowing him to look at the floor. He saw doubt in Harry's green eyes, and knew that whatever he was talking about, it had been no hallucination. His voice was grave and flat, and his pallid face showed no emotion. "Is Draco dead, Potter?"  
  
Harry's face twitched with pain, and for a moment Snape thought it an indication that Draco really was. "...no..." //Thank the gods// "...but whatever I saw...I killed him there...and then I was back before the doors, exactly as I was before I entered..."  
  
"You don't possess a timeturner, Potter?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Harry still shook his head no.  
  
"I think it may have something to do with the Dractnoxes, Sir. But...I don't know..." Harry's eyes were swimming, and for the love of him, Snape turned away, allowing Harry to wipe them away. He went into his office and reappeared with a few ingredients for the potion he was brewing.  
  
"What you've seen, Potter, is most likely an effect of the potion Madam Pomfrey gave you this morning."  
  
"And what was that?" Harry's eyes were now clear, yet red from irritation. Snape felt he owed the boy an explanation, if he owed him anything at all.  
  
"It was a potion to help you focus so that you won't dissipate next time you speak with those creatures. It was vital that you took it for your training, and you will continue taking it until you need it no longer."  
  
"But...what I saw...It was so real...like...I don't know, but it was definitely what I had intended to do to..." He trailed off.  
  
Snape considered this information carefully as he added ingredients to the cooling pot. He handed Harry something very much resembling a pomegranate and mumbled for Harry to shuck it (A/N: something, by the way, that this authoress can do quite well).   
  
//Potter's seeing things now...possible outcomes of sorts from these creatures. This complicates things//  
  
Harry was shucking the strange thing Snape had handed him in silence as Snape pondered things. He was well over and done with it by the time Snape remembered he was still there.  
  
"When you killed Malfoy in your vision, Potter, how did you do it?"  
  
Harry looked taken aback. He wasn't expecting such a question. "I used an unforgivable..."  
  
"Which one, specifically."  
  
"Avada Kadabra."   
  
Snape snorted at this admission and added bits to the potion. "You don't have it in you. You don't have enough hate nor willpower to do so so inexperienced and thus quickly." He stiffened suddenly and added as an afterthought: "Tell no one what you've seen or done today."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"Our sessions are to resume this evening."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"You're dismissed, Potter."  
  
Snape watched as Harry left the cold of the dungeons in pursuit of the warm Gryffindor common room. He waited no longer than the boy had left to ward the room and enter his office. He warded the door and approached the great fireplace inside, throwing in some floo powder.   
  
"Headmaster, we need to talk."  
  
*********************************  
  
The stress is really getting to Harry, you know? *ducks random flying objects with intent of saving her own life* *just barely dodges a glass bottle* Sorry you guys!! Yeah, I know I jerked you around with this one, but ya know what? Harry does go kinda nuts in the end of the fifth book, so there. That's my reasoning. For the beginning anyway. That, and I was kinda in a tight squeeze with this one. DAMN YOU EVIL PLOT BUNNIES! *dodges even more dangerous items and runs to Snape(of all people) for cover* *finds that you only throw things harder with even more zest* Ah crap! Okay, I really have no excuse for that! Just let me live and we'll see what I can do! Ya know, Snape's really just a great ol' softie. *Is pushed by Snape in front of Snape* Please spare me!   
  
As always, tell me what you like, hate, or want to see...I need reviews! I'm dyin'!  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Happy Birthday to you! *sings happy birthday* *makes Snape wear a party hat* Ya kno, just for your b-day:) Draco would be a totally kick-ass club owner. He could use those goons of his as bouncers *g* Damn, no long rambly review. Oh well, thanx for having the time to review at all! Yeah, poor Ron. But don't worry, things will start looking up=^..^=  
  
Charmed_103: Thanx for joinin' the family:) and thinking this fic is great. It's those few words that keep my ego at a healthy level:D And if Harry tells them, what of the consequences? Okie-dokie, but the tables are starting to turn.  
  
Katani Petitedra: Your threats keep me going:) So I'll update then...NOW.  
  
Arizosa: Good to know what you think. I don't want to write a crappy story. This is the info I need. thankies! Yes, I think they'll all need therapy after this:)  
  
Anne: Good to see you again *hugs* I love long reviews! The longer the review, the happier i am:) But hey, that's a butt-load of ideas right there. I do believe you've given birth to a new breed of plot bunnies *shields oneself from plot bunny attacks* Very interesting angles, and thank you again for responding to my plea of help *hugs the air outta you* aww crap... *makes Snape magically re-inflate you* He doesn't mind doin' that. He'll whine a bit *receives one of Snape's trademark glares* but he always helps. We'll see some Voldie soon. Remember, it's still only Saturday, and that is the day that the new recruitment was to be. Voldie's experimenting with that Omnivieve glass still, so we'll be seeing a lot of interesting things happen soon....*gives Snape the thumbs up* 


	18. The Plot Thickens

Gah!! I'm sorry this has taken so long! I been sick!!!! But Oh my! So many reviews! I didn't expect such a response! Now you get one back. Hee! 12 reviews in the course of two days?! I'm rather astounded. Ya see, if I don't write after I get all these reviews, I'll feel guilty, so I am currently writing upon the day I got them all *grins* You know you love me! Due to requests I've gotten to make the chappies longer, I'm going to try my best to write quicker so you can have longer chappies on time. That last one was rather long, you know...Sooo...sorry if this one is a little late...  
  
*smites self upon forehead* I'm such a fool! No more typing for me past midnight! You see what happens when you don't get any sleep? You screw up royally! I have profaned that great author by the name of JKR!!! *uses Avada -KEDAVRA- on self* ......   
  
*is smacked to life by a cold clammy hand* GAAHH!! Oh, it's only Snape...I thought the grim reaper had come for me *receives trademark glare* Okay, well, thanx for alerting me to my screwup everyone. Hopefully it won't happen again. *crosses fingers*  
  
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Chapter 18- The Plot Thickens  
  
a.k.a. Resumed Training  
  
*********************************  
  
Dumbledore's voice materialized from the fireplace Snape stood before. "I am alone now, Severus, if you wish to speak with me." His voice quieted as Snape entered the warm violet flames and disappeared from his office.  
  
Happily sitting in a plush chair whilst sipping his tea was the Headmaster. He offered some to Snape, who shook his head no, and took a seat.   
  
"So what brings you here once more this morning, Severus?"  
  
"Potter."  
  
"Young Harry again?" The old wizard looked amused. Snape, however, most certainly did not.  
  
"I believe the Clarification Potion worked better than I'd thought. It's taken heavy affect within the hour."  
  
"So it's helping the boy already. I suppose you're pleased that he'll be able to concentrate with more clarity now during your lessons, my boy."  
  
"It's much more grave than that, Headmaster. He's seeing things in his mind once more. Somehow weighing the odds of different possible outcomes of a scenario, as it were, and apparently living them. And he's doing it with incredible speed. From what he's admitted me, I draw that he's under a sort of time-turner influence of the mind. He saw a possibility at one moment, lived it, and was then sent back to reality, as it were, with knowledge of the event but nothing having changed from the current conscious world. I believe this has more so to do with those creatures he speaks with than any potion I can create, and I believe something holds some sway over those visions."  
  
Dumbledore sat pensive for a moment and sipped his tea. This opened up a whole new range of problems.  
  
"What kind of vision did he have, Severus? How was it brought about?"  
  
"He said he was angry. Very angry. He visualized himself killing one from my own house; Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Do you know how he did it, Severus?"  
  
"He said he used the killing curse."  
  
This wasn't good news. According to Harry just that morning, he wanted him and Draco to become friends, and he wasn't the type to go over the deep end like that. From Snape's tale, Dumbledore suspected something more sinister at work.  
  
"That doesn't sound like Harry at all. He wouldn't be able to perform such a curse, even in a possible present reality. And I doubt his new affections for Mr. Malfoy would allow him such a thing."  
  
"I think the same, Headmaster."  
  
"Then I think we can both agree that Mr. Potter is going to need his training more than ever, for the stakes are rising too high." Snape nodded solemnly. "I believe, in combination with your Clarification Potion and the Dractnox creatures themselves, that the gift of foresight has been bestowed upon young Harry. His anger may be the key factor to controlling this sudden gift. The emotions he bears are strong, and that may be the key to turning it on and off. But he's going to need your help, Severus, for I believe that we are not the only ones who have some knowledge about Harry's new gift."  
  
Snape's eyes took on a ice cold look. One infamous name came to mind and he was suddenly very serious. "What do you wish me to do, Headmaster?"  
  
Dumbledore's eyes took on their stately twinkling and he smiled at the Potions Professor.  
  
"I want you to do what you do best, Severus." The Potions Master frowned. "I want you to teach the boy. Teach him the skills he'll need to handle this new ability and apply them in your training sessions. Things have changed over these past few days, and now the risks are greater than ever before. Harry must gain control over his mind, and learn to defend it."  
  
"I understand, Headmaster. We're resuming the training tonight."  
  
"Wonderful idea. I believe that Harry may be in over his head in this. I also have a suspicion that there is more to this than we have considered. I believe that Tom Riddle may have a part to play in all of this, although I'm not quite sure." Snape nodded in agreement. "Harry is currently incapable of using such a curse, or producing such power necessary for bringing it about. Even in a vision. And Voldemort currently has the crystalline part of the Omnivieve Glass. With his link through Harry's scar, I believe that we may soon be up against formidable odds. We do not know how much he knows, and we should find out."  
  
With this said, Snape swept out of the office in the same manner he had arrived.  
  
Dumbledore finished his tea and sought out the silver piece of the Omnivieve Glass. He extracted it from the red-velvet case in which it had been stowed inside of a bureau. It was slightly gleaming scarlet with a pulsating glow. //So he's searching for it already. Then he knows...how much?//  
  
***********  
  
Harry was sitting in front of the Gryffindor fireplace staring into the flames. The numbing feeling of the warmth upon his face made everything around him vanish. Everything...except his problems. Not even the cleansing flames of the common room fire could stop them from plaguing his mind.   
  
This way and that thoughts darted through his mind. He was afraid to acknowledge them, or to even think. If he thought too hard, or even felt anything, he might experience another vision of sorts, and he didn't want to do that anytime soon. That was what was keeping him from seeking out Hermione or Ron. If he felt anything strong towards either of them, he might have another vision, or might be compelled to do something.   
  
Something like he had wanted to do to Draco.  
  
And what of the day? It all seemed to be going down hill. He and Draco were no longer at odds, but now he and Ron were...as well as Hermione...and just about his whole life. He had even attempted to kill Draco. //And I might have gone through with it...but I did go through it already...in one way...But I didn't really, did I?//   
  
He didn't trust himself, and hated not being able to. He couldn't trust himself around anyone. It was obvious his friends were put to risk, and this time not only by Voldemort, but also by himself.   
  
//I'll just sit here until my session with Snape. As long as I don't do anything, everything should be fine//  
  
Harry sat in front of the fire for a long time. He didn't show up in the Great Hall when it was time for lunch, and he didn't plan to show up for dinner either. The guilt and anxiety building in him made up for the little amount of food he had eaten at breakfast. He wasn't in the mood for food ever again, and he was sure his stomach wouldn't accept any anyways.   
  
He hadn't even noticed when Ron and Hermione had exited and re-entered the common room for lunch. Ron still looked sullen, and Hermione had her head in a book, but Harry hadn't noticed either of his friends. He had left his mind to wander amongst the flames in the fireplace, trying to forget until the needed time. As the old adage goes, ignorance is bliss.  
  
***********  
  
"Harry..." Poke.   
  
"Harry..." Poke-poke.  
  
"Harry, you awake?! Or alive?" A solid hand was shaking his shoulder, rousing him from his trance-like state.  
  
"What?" Neville was staring at Harry through concerned eyes.  
  
"It's time for dinner."  
  
"Oh. Is it?"  
  
"Where have you been? Mars?"  
  
Harry looked around the common room and noticed only he and Neville in it. How long had he been staring at the flames?  
  
"I guess I didn't notice..." Harry made no move to get up.  
  
"Well...are you coming?"  
  
"You go on ahead, Neville." Harry looked back towards the flames. He would be meeting with Snape soon.  
  
Neville stood in place, not attempting to go anywhere. "Are you alright, Harry?"  
  
"Yeah..."   
  
//No, I'm not...//  
  
Something inside of Harry wanted to tell Neville everything. To scream and shout it and have someone else be responsible for all the knowledge he currently held in his care. But no. He could never be afforded such a luxury.   
  
"Go on ahead, Neville. I'm sure Ginny's waiting for you."  
  
"Oh...oh yeah. She probably is."  
  
"See ya, Neville."  
  
Harry stared back into the flames. Neville stood for a moment, then left seeing that Harry had decided that the conversation was over.  
  
//Snape will be expecting me soon...//  
  
Harry got up from his couch and exited the common room. He headed towards a less traveled route to the Hogwarts courtyard for a little air to clear his mind. The last thing he wanted was to go psycho on a student in the hallways should some inclination take over his brain.  
  
***********  
  
Harry sat in the courtyard on a bench in the night air. He was all alone. In silence. He looked to the stars for some sort of solace, or at least to calm his raging thoughts. There were so many possibilities to what he could do now...to people or otherwise. And what if he did something he couldn't take back? //What if I hurt someone? Permanently? All of this mess in the course of one day...What a nightmare this has been//  
  
Harry put his head in his hands and stared at the grass. Whatever he was going to do, he had better do it soon. Otherwise, terrible things might happen...and he had to protect his friends from a lot now, including himself, but how one went about doing so, he didn't know. Hopefully Snape could help with that.  
  
//Oh if I could only start this day over...This accursed day. All my plans to make things different...to live balanced without petty hates...what's happened?//  
  
Harry heard a rustling in the bushes and he watched for a few tense moments, his nerves on edge. He withdrew his wand and cautiously approached the bush, embracing whatever may have had the gall to venture forth alone towards him on the safety of the Hogwarts grounds.   
  
Harry tensed and spread the bushes apart, scaring a white rabbit from the underbrush. It hopped a little distance away and stared at Harry for a moment before returning under another bush.  
  
"Hmph. If I let a harmless rabbit get to me, then I'm gonna loose it."   
  
//And I'm talking to myself...//  
  
Harry sat back down and listened to the noise of the night for a bit longer. He watched the white rabbit pull itself cautiously from under the bush and go back to it's original place. It seemed rather unfair that the rabbit had no troubles to worry about. No fight against good or evil, no worries about his friends. The rabbit had it damn good, and as silly as it seemed, Harry envied it a bit.  
  
He heard it scurry about in the brush. //It must have a burrow there someplace...// He saw a flickering of a white tail and then it disappeared. It was rather funny how a rabbit had calmed his mind. //I'll bring it carrots next time// he mused.   
  
Harry heard voices from somewhere in the halls behind him and realized that he should get going to see Snape. He didn't know for how long he had been out there, but he knew that dinner must be getting over with.   
  
Harry got up from his bench and headed back to the castle. He glanced over his shoulder to see if he could catch another glimpse of the rabbit, but it was gone from sight.  
  
***********  
  
Harry barely made it down to the dungeons in time for his training session. He burst through the door so suddenly that he slipped on the cold stone floor, colliding with somebody. He heard a rather familiar yelp in reply to his intrusion as he made contact with his fellow classmate, ending up as a heap on the floor.  
  
"Ah! You're on my leg!"  
  
"Sorry! Get off my hand!"  
  
"Ow! My fingers!"  
  
Harry tried to get out of the entanglement of limbs and pain as he realized that it was Ron that he had collided with.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing."  
  
"What is all this commotion about?!! POTTER! WEASLEY!"  
  
Both boys grew quiet as Snape's ominous presence filled the entire room. Ron seemed to shrink two sizes.  
  
"Sorry sir, I slipped and fell into Ron..." Harry admitted dolefully. "It was my fault..."  
  
"Ten points from Gryffindor for clumsiness!" Ron made a face at this which Snape regrettable caught. "And another ten points for being obtrusive, Weasley." Ron held his tongue, but Harry clearly saw just how much he wanted to say in response. And Snape apparently wasn't done either. "And I believe that you're late for your...detention, Potter. That's another five points."  
  
Ron openly gaped at Harry. He knew nothing of Harry having detention with him, and he hadn't expected to be seeing him so soon either. But he supposed that serving detention with Harry would make things a little easier, if not help the time pass. But much to his surprise, Snape let him go.  
  
"You're dismissed, Mr. Weasley. Your detentions are to resume again tomorrow, and do not be late."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron. He had forgotten that Ron had received a month's detention of cauldron cleaning with Snape. And until that was replaced with another month of detention with Filch, Harry supposed he'd be seeing Ron every evening. And that was at least something good to look forward to...that is, if he could ever get close to his friends again.   
  
Ron gave Harry a puzzled look and got up off the floor, quickly exiting the room before Snape changed his mind. Harry picked himself up off the floor also and brushed himself off as Snape magicked the many cauldrons that were out back to their respective places.   
  
"Sir, I..."  
  
  
  
"We'll begin in a moment, Potter. Be patient."  
  
Harry was being patient. He was worried, that was the problem. As much as he hated the man right now (Gryffindor being twenty-five points poorer) he didn't want to hurt him, with his mind or otherwise, and he was afraid of what he was capable of.   
  
"Sir, it's not that," Harry started determinedly. He was going to make Snape listen for once whether he wanted to or not. He had to express his concerns even if his Professor didn't care to hear them, and that in itself was difficult. "About everything I've seen today...or done today...I...I'm scared...and I'm not sure what I'm capable of anymore, or if I can even have basic control over my mind..." "You'll have it, Potter. We're going to practice the same skills originally planned, plus more I've felt will make adequate your newfound skills so long as you obey me and do not question my orders."  
  
Was he going mad or was that meant to be a comforting statement from Severus Snape?   
  
"Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes, sir." Regardless, Harry felt better. He trusted the man for some insane reason, and Snape's words gave him new hope. //Maybe I'll be speaking with the Dractnoxes again soon...//  
  
Snape's voice jarred Harry from his musings as he was told to stand opposite the Potions Master. He took his stance and removed his wand from his robes.  
  
"First we're going to try a little bit of Occlumency, Potter, and then progress from there."  
  
Immediately, fear seized Harry. He froze up as Snape hit him with the spell and gained access to his memories. He was shown a memory, much to Harry's chagrin, when his cousin, Dudley, made him eat dirt and bugs when he was five, and another time when he was six when he had to hide in a smelly dumpster to escape bullying from Dudley's friends at school, and yet another time when Harry was seven when he had his clothes stolen by Dudley's friends and was made to run home crying, barely-clothed, from the park. Here Snape stopped. The boy had many painful memories, and yet he wasn't attempting to stop Snape from viewing them.  
  
"What are you doing, Potter?! Why aren't you stopping me?"  
  
Harry slowly slid to the floor from the exhaustion the spell caused and sat there trembling with fear. He felt so stupid and so helpless, and he hated himself for not attempting to stop it and for being too scared to do so, and appearing so weak in front of Snape.  
  
"Answer me, Potter."  
  
"I-I'm too-"  
  
"Speak up, Potter."   
  
"I don't want...to...hurt you."  
  
Snape was taken aback at those words. First of all, any other student would have jumped at the chance to take a shot at him. Even members of his own house. Second, Potter?! Of all people?! Had the world been turned upside down?  
  
"There is nothing you could possibly do that would ever hurt me, Potter," Snape assured Harry with the utmost arrogance to hide his concern. Truly, he didn't know what the boy was now capable of, but there was only one way to find out, and if he got hurt, so be it. Sometimes people had to get hurt to get results. It was the same way with making new potions; you just had to trust that things would turn out okay.  
  
"But...what if I...do something irreversible...I'm just...scared..."  
  
"You should be scared, Potter. If you weren't scared, there would be something wrong with you." Harry raised his eyes to Snape, who was suddenly made aware of just how much fear the boy's eyes held. He was afraid of what else was there, too. Was it concern? "Do you really believe that the Dark Lord would take pity on you in a moment of fear? You experience nothing else in seeing him, so you had better overcome it and stop me."  
  
"But..."  
  
"I thought you said you'd obey my orders, Potter! Now do what I say and stop me!" He immediately put the spell into effect once more, not even allowing Harry to get up off the floor. He felt it working and was soon inside the boy's mind.  
  
But Harry wouldn't allow it.  
  
"Get out of my head!" Harry said adamantly. Snape's suddenness had taken him by surprise, and he couldn't believe that the man would just attack him without warning. Without meaning to, he had countered it and pushed Snape out of his mind.  
  
Both were panting and stared at one another. Snape was leaning over a desk catching his breath, while Harry was standing, but just barely that. He had a look of contempt on his face, while Snape's countenance held one of satisfaction. His attempt had worked and he had made Harry counter.  
  
"You-! Why did you-?! I could've done something terrible!"  
  
"And you've just proved you didn't. Again, Potter."   
  
Snape cast the spell again, and again Harry countered it, and not just countered, but attacked. He did it in half the time of the last, throwing a binding spell at Snape, which he quickly removed from the Potions Master. Little to say, Snape was pleased.  
  
//The boy has become more powerful and his reaction time is quicker. He is definitely changed//  
  
Harry was, in fact, better than he had been before, or had ever been for that matter. Little to say, he skills were impressive.  
  
But Snape had to be sure that it wasn't just some fluke in his spelling against Harry. He had to see if Harry could throw off the others, but he wasn't going to tell him which mind spells he would use.  
  
"Again, Potter."  
  
Harry was hit with spell after spell as Snape decided to really test out the boy's skill and endurance. With each spell thrown at him, with each type of difficulty and level, Harry countered with a spell of it's kind to match it in a sort of beautiful harmony that even Snape had to admit was amazing. He didn't stop until he had thrown five spells at the boy, all of which were successfully thrown off with grace and skill, and only then did he cease.  
  
Both were breathing hard and on the cool stone floor of the dungeons. Harry's wand hand was shaking as he tried to hold onto it, and he didn't think he could handle one more spell thrown at him.   
  
He wasn't sure what he felt. Perhaps anger towards the Potions Master, or was it relief? What kind of madman was he to throw so many spells in succession at Harry? A wave of emotion engulfed him as he realized that he was okay, and that Snape was left unhurt by him, and that things would be alright now. After everything Harry had just been put through, none of his fears came to life. He didn't do anything he shouldn't have, and everything was okay. He almost cried it felt so good to know he was alright in his head. But instead of crying, he felt sick and nauseous and wanted to throw up and get rid of those terrible feelings he had had. `He supposed this was what true victory felt like.   
  
"Once more, Potter."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Again."  
  
Snape hit Harry with yet another curse, this time with Crucio. Harry writhed and screamed in pain for a moment at the impact of the Unforgivable curse. What was Snape doing hitting him with such a thing? Truly, it was easy for Harry to throw it off. But then he threw the same curse right back at Snape.   
  
The man was on the ground screaming in pain and torment as Harry stood and caught his breath from the spell. He was going to quickly remove it, but something inside him wouldn't allow it.   
  
//-Finish it-//   
  
Memories of intense hate for Snape resurfaced in Harry's mind, including the most recent taking of points from Gryffindor. Why shouldn't he finish it?  
  
//-Finish it. You know what to do-//  
  
Harry raised his wand and walked over to the screaming man before him. He grimly smiled and started to say the spell that would end the Potions Master's life.   
  
"Avada-"  
  
"No! You-you -don't realize- what -you're doing!" Snape yelled between pain-filled screams.  
  
//Yes I do//  
  
"Kedavra!"  
  
//NO! NOT THI-!//  
  
***********  
  
"NOIWON'T!"  
  
Harry was screaming out, clutching his head trying to stop what was happening in his mind. He felt like he was on fire, and trying to make everything stop was unreasonable.  
  
He felt two strong arms suddenly wrap tightly around him and felt the smooth glass of a potions vial at his lips. He could feel cooling liquid being poured down his throat, and he swallowed, coughing and sputtering. He gasped for air and the arms around him relinquished their hold slightly as his breathing was returned to normal and his eyes began to grant him their normal power back.   
  
He was still gasping and panting like he had just run a marathon, and it took a few moments before his breathing fully returned to normal.  
  
"Are you alright, Potter?" Snape's voice was filled with concern, worry, and even a little fright. He still had his hold on Harry in case he should go into another fit of sorts, but with the potion he had given him, that wasn't likely.   
  
Harry looked up to the man that the voice belonged to, and upon seeing that it was Snape, wrapped his arms tightly about him like a little child. He couldn't believe that the man was real, and that what had just transpired wasn't. But how could he be sure that this was the reality, and that the other was not?  
  
"Are you real?! Are you actually alive?!" Harry half-sobbed through Snape's robes.   
  
The Potions Master didn't move. He was actually at a lose for what to do. These kinds of situations weren't everyday occurrences to him, and when was the last time he had a sobbing Gryffindor holding him so closely scared within an inch of their lives? He had an inkling what Harry was mumbling about, but just that.   
  
He was shocked to find that he was rubbing the boy's back soothingly, trying to calm him. He didn't know he had it in him. As the sobs subsided and Harry calmed, Snape questioned him. He had to get answers.  
  
"What did you see, Potter?" he asked. Neither moved from their position on the floor for fear of seeing the other one's face. What did one do in such a situation?  
  
"You..."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"You threw a curse at me...Cruciatus...and I threw it back at you..."  
  
Now that didn't sound so terrible. He'd had to endure that curse every time he went to a dark revel. And if anything, they should both be proud that Harry could so easily throw off such a thing. It was unheard of for the Cruciatus to be thrown off by anyone but it's master. This, if anything, was cause for celebration.  
  
"Good. I hope you are able to do the real thing."  
  
"No!" he spat out. This was not good. "I...was told to...finish it..." he admitted painfully. "And...I did..." Harry started to shake again, and Snape unwittingly tightened his hold on the trembling boy.  
  
//So he used the killing curse again, did he? This time on me? That's fine, he can't really. But who told him to finish it?//  
  
"Who told you to finish the job, Potter?"  
  
"I-I don't know...It was- different this time...I was going to hurry and remove it, the spell, but then I was told to finish it..."  
  
Snape gently pulled away and made Harry look him in the eyes. There was pain there, and a great torrent of emotions swirling about. He hoped that Harry would be able to give him a straight answer.   
  
"Who told you to finish it, Potter? Who do you think it was?"  
  
"I don't know...It was in my head...I think I told myself to finish it..."  
  
//What does that mean?! Are those creatures responsible for this, or is He?!//  
  
"Severus?" A kind old voice intoned. Snape inclined his head towards the old man in his doorway. Dumbledore exited Snape's office, and it was only now that he smelt the unmistakable smell of floo powder. The old wizard was a sneaky one.   
  
"Headmaster." Snape addressed Dumbledore with an air that refused to acknowledge the peculiarity of the situation.   
  
"I just dropped in to see how the training was going. Well I'd wager?"  
  
Snape picked himself and Harry up off the floor, keeping a hand on his shoulder. Harry kept his gaze on the floor.   
  
"Harry, I believe you have an appointment with Madam Pomfrey which I'm sure you'd like to keep."  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"I was just headed there myself. Care to escort an old man?" Dumbledore held out his arm and Harry left Snape's side. All three walked into Snape's office, and Dumbledore let Harry exit through the flames first so that he could have a few words with his Potions Master.  
  
"I knew you had it in you, Severus." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling with pride as he smiled at Snape. He knew the man could show compassion when he wanted to.   
  
"If you tell anyone I'll deliver you to the Dark Lord myself," he snapped.   
  
Dumbledore grinned and stepped into the flames. "We can talk all about it tomorrow." In a whoosh of warm air, he was gone.  
  
Snape collapsed into his desk chair. Not much had been solved tonight, and he felt that things were getting progressively worse.   
  
He rubbed at his temple in frustration and slammed his fist against the table.  
  
His reputation was shot if Dumbledore talked.  
  
*********************************  
  
Was I able to pull off the same trick twice? Nah, I didn't think I could either. But whoa, what was that all of a sudden? Snape gettin' a little tender on us, is he? *is smacked repeatedly over the head by the man in question* OKAY! I take it back! But ya know, Harry does look up to Snape, whether he wants to or not. Not so much as a father figure, but I think things would definately be weird without him around for Harry...afterall, he's saved his ass so many times...  
  
Sometimes I think, "Wouldn't it just be so funny if I just ended the fic at any time with: 'And Harry woke up. It had all been a fantastic dream.' I could just end it with the dream cop-out." Well, no worries, because that's the cheap way out, and I'm too into writing this sucker to do that. I just thought I'd share that with ya. But wow!! So many reviews! I'm simply in awe of it all! I've been writing my butt off even though I've sacrificed my Econ grade, so you know I love you all! And I've been so ill *cough cough* that it's been difficult for me to get on here without hallucinating. *hears Snape snickering in background* You have something to do with this, don't you? I'll bet he does...damn him.  
  
~And now to get to those that whom without this story would be impossible~  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: *quotes you...and Captain Jack Sparrow* "That's interesting". Yay! Go me! But yes, Harry was going a bit nuts, but wouldn't you if you had the weight of the world upon your shoulders? All this crazy crap is happening to him and he can't really control it, eh. Harry would never kill Draco...unless he had to, but that shouldn't happen in this fic, so cheers!  
  
Arizosa: Steven Spielberg, eh? Yay! If my writing seems that good, then maybe my films will be up to par some day. I wanna be a filmmaker:) But yes, I'm glad you thought it was cool, I was afraid it would turn you guys off this fic. EXCELLENT. I wanted ya'll to think that he really killed Draco, but he didn't. No worries. Oh yes...the twists indeed *goes off to ponder* *Snape wipes tomato pieces off his face* He's not very pleased with me at the moment...  
  
Katani Petitedra: Yay! Nothin' was thrown at me...by you. *Snape glares* Okay, well stuff was thrown at him, not me, sooo....okie dokie, I'll update as long as I escape your wrath...hee hee hee...  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: I'm utterly blissful that I've made you happy....hee =^..^= I'm doin' a good job, you think? Oh boy Oh boy! And I can't believe you -still- think I'm doin' well with this. I thought I'd lost the fire awhile ago...well, apparently not if you think it's well written (take that eleventh grade english teacher!) Well, as long as it stays inventive and has a sense of humor, I guess I'm happy. I must quote you for my ego's purposes "you're very talented!" YAY!!! And I've addressed the Avada Kedavra thingy...It just proves I'm only human...and helluva sleepy when I was polishing off this chappie:) Always happy to have your reviews, they make me so...so...*whips out thesaurus and tries to find another word for happy* umm...YAY!! *big smiles and hugs* *Snape gives you a rootbeer* Wow, the drink of choice. He must really like you *receives another glare* Okay, appreciates you. *Snape seems satisfied* Whatever.  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Snape may not be happy about the party hat, but he knows he looks helluva sexy in it *dodges a well placed curse* You're very welcome! But he can deal...he's such a whiner *watches one's back* I was hoping to get that kind of reaction outta my readers, and it's apparently worked *grins* Don't worry, everything's kewl:) And I'd never leave you guys hanging! I'm already sacrificing my AP Economics grade, so you -know- I must be dedicated *puffs out chest with pride* *Snape rolls eyes* He really -is- a greasy git, *Snape whips out wand* but we love him for it, of course *puts it away* Dumbass. Anywho, nice to know you won't chuck stuff at me. I'm getting better at dodging, though:)  
  
Drizzt of the 203-SAW: Too late. *grins* I'm glad this was brought to my attention. It proves the fact that I should pace myself when I write:) Sorry to confuse you! I'll try to make the chapters longer, that is, if my stingy parents let me on this thing...  
  
Phoebe-H: Hey, thanx a lot and welcome to our hap-hap-happy family *Snape shows FireValkyrie a rather rude finger* Yeah, well, he's still pissed at me...Thanx for reviewin'! I'll update for ya!  
  
Molly Morrison: Yay! I have interesting concepts! Go me! Glad I gave ya a fun read! You're talkin' to the Queen of Procrastination here! Sunday night papers= A's! HA HA HA HA! How many people can pull that off? Yeah well, I couldn't kill Draco, not now. It would just be wrong...But what I do believe is right is that you spent your hours reading me! I just love hearing stuff like this! It shows I have some spunk! Yay! Thank you very much for the review and determination!  
  
Charmed-103: We love you here! *forces Snape to give a hug* *he feigns sleep* Hey, pay attention or I might not write ya in, ya bugger! *snaps to attention* That's better. I've actually started writting more quickly because of the flood of reviews I got! I couldn't believe it! Wowie! Anywayz, thanx a lot! Your praise means a lot to me!  
  
PRONGSLOVER: YAHOO! An excellent fanfic under my name! Take that....um...other writers! I'm loved so ha! *Snape extends a hand of thanks* Wow...he's never done that before. I wonder if he's feeling alright? *hand is smacked away from his forehead* I'm so glad you like Snape in this fic and that you like his character! It's another victory for him to have someone like him...yes...*whispers* he is pretty apathetic to his followers...little blighter...  
  
Anne: Hee hee...I tricked the lot of you with that one. Sorry to have freaked you out, but I do like knowing I have the written power to do so *MUHUHAHAHAH!* Yeah, he loves me so he does what I ask *gets icicle glare from Snape* but not always perfectly. Git. You really liked my description of his anger, eh? Thanx for tellin' me that! Now I know what my good skills are! I'm a little weird myself *is given veritaserum* Okay, I'm helluva weird, but I think I may be happy if a stranger did crash a plane in front of my mobile home in a storm...very sexy settings...mmm...with a certain potions master...*Snape's eyes bulge out and he's suddenly disappeared* Where are you my darling? heh heh heh...  
  
MarsIsBrightTonight: Thanx. I've addressed the problem:) 


	19. Atlas

*rubs head in pain* Whoa, I think I started new years celebrations too early and finished them too late...Where's Snape at? *looks under various upturned pieces of furniture* *finds Snape with lampshade on his head, passed out under a table* heh heh...he was the life of the party! And now he's all tuckered out...but what the hell were we drinkin'? *finds empty bottle of fire whiskey in Snape's hand* Oh. Well then. That'll do the trick then, won't it? Okay, while I try to wake him, you can all read this...  
  
Chapter 19- Atlas  
  
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Harry was tired. Very, very tired at best. After he saw Madam Pomfrey and taken his potion the night before, he was assured by Dumbledore that things would be okay. They hadn't returned to quarters for an hour at best, and all the while Dumbledore had been trying to reassure Harry that things would get better.  
  
It was cold for a Sunday morning, and Harry was the only one in Gryffindor tower still in bed during the afternoon. But he didn't mind. Just being back in his house tower, in his own dormitory in his own bed, made him feel all the safer and sound. He felt that if he avoided his fellow Gryffindors, and really, anyone, he and his classmates would be safe from him until his next sessions with Snape.  
  
Despite what Dumbledore had told him, Harry felt he was dangerous. There was the obvious point Dumbledore had tried to sway Harry with, that he hadn't done anyone harm yet. Nevertheless, he was still scared. And fear might lead to more strange visions, and that was something he did not wish to risk.   
  
Harry closed his eyes in thought. Nothing was as it seemed anymore. Harry was at odds with Hermione and Ron, Draco was now...an ally? He himself was now dangerous, despite what anyone else said.   
  
And then there was Snape. The man was an enigma, and Harry had no way of figuring him out. Who knew that the callous, cruel Potion's Master had a compassionate side? Well, either Hell finally froze over, or Harry had gone mad. Of course, he'd never tell anyone. Who would believe him? As far as he was concerned, the whole incident could remain hidden and never spoken of again.   
  
Harry turned over and sighed. Maybe he could see Snape about an earlier training session today. Something didn't feel quite right in his head, and whatever it was was making him edgy. He felt something creeping about in there, like a strange extension of self, looking for something. And whatever it was looking for, Harry couldn't wait for it to find it.   
  
In the darkness of the closed bed-curtains, Harry could make out the glowing eyes of a Dractnox intently watching him. Their behavior had certainly changed with the recent events. They'd been watching him lately, as opposed to showing a certain indifference until he'd address them. And they'd been showing more emotion than they should be. They were becoming more human, in at least their mannerisms. That is, if big syrupy shadow globs had mannerisms. And what was he to make of it?  
  
"I wish I could talk to you," he said quietly. He didn't risk trying to mentally contact it. The Dractnox narrowed its eyes, giving Harry the impression that it was more looking through him than at him. "What are you searching for? Is it you in here?" He tapped his head with his finger, but the Dractnox made no attempt at answering him. Either that, or it was unable to.  
  
"Harry?" Ron's voice came through the curtains. Harry thought he had been alone in the room. "Harry?" Ron asked again, this time with a pleading tone in his voice. "Are you awake in there?"  
  
"Yeah...Yeah Ron, I'm awake."  
  
"Are you okay in there?"  
  
"I'm fine, Ron."  
  
There was silence. Neither boy said anything; barely breathing; just listening. Harry was growing nervous. He couldn't see what was going on outside the bed, and didn't know if only Ron was out there or if there were others with him.   
  
"Are you alone, Ron?" Ron said nothing for a few moments, and it was making Harry frantic.  
  
"Yeah, I'm alone..."  
  
"Oh...okay."  
  
"You were talking to them, weren't you?"  
  
"...to who...?"  
  
"You know who I mean..."  
  
There was another long silence, and Harry waited to see if Ron would just leave. He didn't want to risk anything. He heard footsteps, and then they stopped. He figured Ron had gotten back into bed or something.  
  
Suddenly, Ron poked his head through the curtains, momentarily blinding Harry with sunlight. He climbed in and closed his makeshift door, sitting opposite Harry.   
  
"Ron, you shouldn't be anywhere near me..."  
  
"Why? Are you contagious or something?" Ron half smiled, but Harry didn't see as there were still colorful spots floating in front of his eyes.   
  
"Ron, I'm...dangerous...just keep away, alright?"  
  
"Harry, listen-"  
  
"Just trust me, okay?"  
  
"No, not okay. What's up with you, Harry? What's happened to the Harry Potter I knew?"  
  
"A lot of things are different now, Ron."  
  
"I know...we both know. Why won't you tell us?"  
  
"Did Hermione put you up to this?"  
  
"She knows nothing about me being here, Harry. It doesn't take Hermione for me to know something's wrong with you."  
  
"Ron, just please, go." Harry urged.  
  
"No, Harry. I know something's going on, and until you tell me, I'm going to be your shadow."  
  
Harry thought for a moment. Ron would indeed stay with him if he had to. "Don't you have places to be?"  
  
"No."  
  
A thought struck Harry. "Don't you have detention with Snape?"  
  
"Don't you?" Harry bit his lip. "I know you haven't been having 'detention', Harry. That was made clear to me last night. Since when does Snape let me go just so he can have a special detention with you?"  
  
Harry was speechless. As scared as he was of possibly harming Ron, he was very amazed. Ron was more clever than he had thought.  
  
"Ron, you're-"  
  
"And, since when do I find out you have detention from the source itself and not a bunch of snickering Slytherins? I'm not daft, Harry. Either you tell me what's going on, or you're stuck with me. If I have to cast a sticking charm, then I will. I really will."  
  
"Ron...it's too...I could hurt you. Both you and Hermione. And not just by what I know now."  
  
"Harry, whatever it is, for the love of God please tell me! Don't look at me like that! Let me worry about the consequences for once. You can't carry the weight of the world upon your shoulders, mate."  
  
Harry held his breath, trying to make the ultimate decision. He closed his eyes and flung open the curtains, causing Ron to shriek in blinding agony. Once his eyes adjusted, Harry checked the room for anyone else. He couldn't really afford Ron hearing this, let alone someone else. Satisfied, he climbed back into bed and cast a silencing charm, as well as warded the bed. He didn't want anyone finding out what he had decided to tell Ron, and even walls had ears.  
  
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Sorry that was so incredibly short. Let's call it an interlude, shall we?  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: What a lovely review! Oh yes, he's a wonderful father figure. At least when he thinks no one's looking. He's going to be very good to our children. *receives horrified glance from Snape* Heh heh...And we wondered whatever would scare the great Potions Master. *Snape curses both you and me into oblivion* GAAHHH! He'll pay for that! Hey buddy, ya better watch it, we're all ya got! *shows Snape anti-Snape sites* *he gives something resembling an apologetic glance* Yeah, well, he does risk his arse for everyone, yet no one ever gives him credit because he's a bastard about it, and that's fine by me. We know he's a good guy *receives glare* Yeah, I'm ruining his reputation. Glad you didn't think he was OOC, although I think he is. *Snape nods in agreement* Oh shut up. But I do hope I handled the situation well. I'd never abandon you guys!! I love you all way too much to risk a boycot! Where would I get my un-needed ego boosts then? *is suddenly struck by wandless magik of some sort* GAH! My hair! Severus! Fix this! *hair is turned back to normal, and Snape has a strange grin on his face* What? *still grins...rather sexily I might add* Okay, I'm just gonna go take care of a few things....  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: *Snapes curses you* Yeah, well, he's doin' that to a lot of people today...Don't worry, it'll grow back...I think...I guess that's what I get for makin' Snape so luuu-uuving *gives Snape big cushy hug* *is suddenly unconscious* ........  
  
Drizzt of the 203-SAW: Yeah, they're damn stingy...actually it's only mum...dad couldn't give a rat's ass. Yeah, I'm tryin' to make 'em longer and go faster, but, you know, stingy parents and all...But I'll do my best.  
  
Anne: So very many people call me crazy that I will officially say it as truth:) But thanx:) Hee hee hee...I guess I got ya there, eh? tee-hee...*FireValkyrie smacks Harry as well* How did you get into my reviewing section?! How dare you raise your wand against my reviewers! *Harry points a finger at Snape* Yeah, well, he's different...*Snape looks smug* He's normally a jackass *Snape tries to curse her, but it is deflected back to himself* Ha! That'll teach him. I'll try to write asap.  
  
PRONGSLOVER: Oh no! Did Snape make you sick? I'll show him! *Snape cowers looking incredibly innocent* Wow, i didn't think he could pull that look off. Okay, well, I guess I can let him off this time...only because you think he rox...I love to see this kind of persistence from my readers! YOU rock!  
  
Katani Petitedra: *Snape chucks the lollipop at you* Not the evil frying pan of destruction! Oh I'll show you! Get 'er Snape! *Snape curses you, rather pissed at being given a lollipop* hee hee 


	20. Dazed and Confuzed

*enters with Snape* We both have terrible hangovers, and I have far too many injuries from game playing *wink*...no more parties for us...not for awhile and with finals so close *makes Snape conjure a couch* Ahhh...that's much better. Now if he'd just dim the lights, we'd be set...  
  
Chapter 20- Dazed and Confused  
  
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Ron and Harry had made up for, well, everything. Harry spilled everything he safely could to Ron. He told him about the training sessions, about the Omnivieve Glass, and about Malfoy.   
  
A lot about Malfoy.   
  
Ron had tried exhaustingly to convince Harry that he wasn't dangerous. He had made the same point Dumbledore had, and that was that his visions hadn't hurt anybody. He said that they were just like a daydream, or a waking nightmare; they couldn't do anyone any harm, and Harry just had to try and get over them, even if they were incredibly frightening or painful to watch.   
  
And Ron made a point of Harry's relative harmlessness by smacking Harry, hard, upside the head. Harry had shrieked and yelled at Ron, getting effectively angry, and feeling rather murderous, but nothing had happened. Harry had experienced no visions or anything of the sort.   
  
"It's obviously not triggered by sudden mood-swings, Harry," Ron had said, a big grin at his own cleverness. "Don't worry about day-to-day emotions, mate."   
  
All in all, Harry figured Ron was right. But if it wasn't triggered by sudden emotional mood-swings, then what was causing it? Harry didn't know as of yet, but as Ron had pointed out, locking himself up in their room was no answer to the problem. That was why he was out with Ron now, walking the corridors of Hogwarts.   
  
And besides what was he going to do with classes tomorrow? There was no way he could stay hidden up in the Gryffindor Tower; McGonagall wouldn't allow it, and there was no amount of spells Harry knew to barricade himself in their room which McGonagall couldn't undo. All there was left to do now was to get on with his plans...and life. First things first, he and Ron were in search of Hermione.   
  
"...and that's why George is afraid of rabbits. And besides, if a knight couldn't stop it, then what really could?" Ron huffed out. "I swear, muggles have the strangest ideas of any creature I know."   
  
"Even Dobby?"   
  
Ron thought for a moment. "Okay, not all creatures." They both laughed lightheartedly and sighed. It felt good to laugh after these past few days.   
  
"Are you sure she's not in the tower, though?" Harry asked Ron of Hermione's whereabouts.   
  
"No way she's there today. I heard Hermione telling Chelton McNabb that muggle charm bracelets aren't what she thinks they are, and that no matter what a ~Gems and Jewelry~ Catalogue says, they aren't filled with 'a secret to muggle magic'. No doubt she's trying to teach her a thing or two about muggles, and Chelton is always in the library anyways."   
  
"Oh."   
  
They were taking what one would call the 'scenic route' to the library as Harry still wanted to avoid large crowds. They were passing by one of Hogwart's many courtyards when they came across a group of young Slytherins all huddled around a bush. Both boys slowed their pace until they came to a dead stop just staring at the group in confusion.   
  
"What are they doing?" Harry uttered to Ron. They seemed to be kids younger than Harry and Ron, and they were all just sort of standing around in a circle, not really doing anything. No trace of talking nor sound could be heard from the huddle.   
  
"Oy!" Ron shouted at the group accusingly. After what had happened with Ron and Malfoy only yesterday, Ron had gained something of confidence in the face of Slytherins.   
  
"What're you doin'?"   
  
The group of children lightly swayed, and Ron and Harry both looked at each other, baffled. What kind of Slytherin behavior was this?   
  
"Oy!" Ron said again, this time approaching them. Harry followed in his stead, curiosity overwhelming him.   
  
"What -are- they doing?" Harry inquired softly.   
  
"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Ron told him, muttering about Slytherins and whatnot.   
  
Approaching the Slytherins, Harry noticed it to be the same place he had gone only last night before his meeting with Snape. It was funny how his place of solace was a Slytherin meeting ground.   
  
"What're you doing there?" Ron asked intimidatingly. In unison, they turned their heads and stared at Ron and Harry in bewilderment.   
  
Both boys stopped, more than disturbed. First off, neither one had received anything even like a glare from these kids. Second, they had a strange look about them unlike what one would expect to see from a Slytherin. Something wasn't right with their glazed eyes and stunned expressions.   
  
"Are they...okay?" Ron asked apprehensively.   
  
"I don't know...Hey!" Harry called to them. They made no movement to say anything back to Harry. He walked over to them, flanked by Ron. He stopped in front of them and waved his hand in front of one's face. They did nothing to stop him, and merely followed his hand with their heads.   
  
"Are you alright?" he asked a boy. He just stared at Harry like the others. Harry took him by the shoulders and shook him, getting no reaction.   
  
"What's wrong with them?" Ron asked, trying the same thing. "Were they cursed? Maybe obliviated?"   
  
"I don't know. How long do you think they've been like this?"   
  
"A little while, maybe?"   
  
"Why wouldn't anyone have noticed this?"   
  
"They're Slytherins. No one would bother them."   
  
"Hey hey! Are you alright?" Harry tried again. But they only kept staring at him with their glazed eyes and puzzled looks.   
  
"What should we do? Should we try a counter-curse?"   
  
"It might complicate things. You shouldn't mix spells. We need to get McGonagall.   
  
"Probably Madam Pomfrey..."   
  
"Should we leave them alone?"   
  
"I'll stay here with them. You go get McGonagall, and I'll wait."   
  
"You gonna be alright, Harry?"   
  
"Yeah. They're in no state to do anything to me. Just get McGonagall here."   
  
"Okay, mate, I'll be right back." Ron took off at a run back through the halls and left Harry there to watch over the dazed and confused Slytherins.   
  
"Can any of you understand me?" Harry asked the little group. None gave him anything resembling a response, but just sort of watched him and did nothing else. Harry took a seat on a bench and waited for Ron, kicking at the grass. He wondered if someone had come by and hexed the little buggers as payback for something. There was still this petty rivalry going on in Hogwarts and Harry thought it sad that they all didn't see the bigger picture of life.   
  
He picked up little pebbles off the ground and started throwing them in the bush that the Slytherins had been staring at. He chucked them trying to hit target leaves, and getting them every time. One thing that had definitely changed about him with this whole ordeal was his skills. Snape had helped him see that aspect of his new abilities with last night's training session, so if anything, he proved that he could be formidable enough to handle this group of Slytherins should they suddenly wake up from their daze and blame him.   
  
Harry chucked yet another rock at the bush and then stopped as movement caught his eye. He waited for a moment, and then saw a white rabbit appear. It was the same white rabbit he had seen the previous night.   
  
//Were they harassing the rabbit, maybe?//   
  
Before he could draw any conclusions about what the Slytherins were doing, the rabbit hopped out, ate something off the ground, and hopped back to its burrow.   
  
//No way they were feedin it...//   
  
Harry heard running coming from behind on the grass and saw Ron coming towards him flanked by Professor McGonagall.   
  
"Any different?" Ron asked, out of breath.   
  
"Nothing."   
  
"Children! What are you all doing?" McGonagall called to the little Slytherins. They didn't acknowledge her, but turned their eyes to her now as she was speaking. "What happened to them, Mr. Potter?"   
  
"I don't know. Me and Ron found them like this, Professor."   
  
"They were all huddled around the bush just staring, and-"   
  
"-we thought it was strange, how they were just standing there in a circle." Harry finished.   
  
"In a circle, Potter?"   
  
"Yes, ma'am."   
  
McGonagall looked worried as she inspected the Slytherins, trying to get some sort of reaction out of them. She shook them, waved her arms in front of them, and even threatened them with detention if one of them didn't stop this 'little joke'. But they wouldn't do anything apart from stand and stare.   
  
"Mr. Weasley, go and fetch Professor Snape. Don't give me that look, just go. Have him meet us in the hospital wing. Potter, you'll stay with me."   
  
Reluctantly, Ron went off in search of the Head of Slytherin as McGonagall regarded Harry somewhat worrisome.   
  
"What's wrong with them, Professor?"   
  
"I don't know, but we've got to get them to Madam Pomfrey." She set out across the lawn, trying to make them follow her, but it was no use. They wouldn't respond to her commands nor would they make any move to follow. And since she wouldn't mix spells on them, McGonagall had to settle for moving them manually one at a time with Harry's help. And once she got them all walking, they wouldn't stop. She had to run ahead and move any obstacles as Harry tried to keep them together as they followed her to the hospital wing.   
  
Once finally there, she had Madam Pomfrey guide them to beds and set them down, where they stayed and showed no difference for lack of the courtyard.   
  
"What's happened, Minerva?"   
  
"We're not sure. Potter and Weasley found them in the north courtyard." She then went on to describe what she had seen and what she was told, having Harry interject at intervals.   
  
This was making Harry far worse than worried. The way they talked, it seemed that something more dangerous was going on than just students cursing each other. Harry looked about the hospital and noticed that one of the beds had a privacy curtain around it, and he guessed it to be Malfoy still recovering from the curse Ron had hit him with. He was going to go over and visit when Snape entered the room closely followed by a more than agitated-looking Ron.   
  
Snape looked about the hospital beds filled with glaze-eyes Slytherins and set his glare down upon Harry.   
  
"What's happened, Potter?"   
  
"We aren't sure, Severus. The two boys found them this way." McGonagall told him. Snape strode over to the boy Harry had shaken earlier and tried to get a response from him, but was as unsuccessful as the others.   
  
"Where did you find them, Potter?"   
  
"The north courtyard, sir."   
  
"And they displayed only this behavior?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Severus, are there no potions that can have this affect upon them?"   
  
"No potions that students would be capable of producing..." Snape then gave Harry and Ron a hard look.   
  
"What about spells? They seem to be in a daze, but a perplexus curse couldn't have this affect."   
  
"Unless maybe it was combined with another," Madam Pomfrey said. "But what could cause them to behave this way?"   
  
Harry leaned over to Ron and whispered to him as the adults spoke. "What do you think happened?"   
  
"Maybe they were just cursed?"   
  
"They seem like they're asleep while they're awake," Harry told him. "Like they're dreaming."   
  
"What was that, Potter?!" Harry jumped. Apparently he and Ron weren't as quiet as they had thought.   
  
"Nothing..."   
  
"Tell me, Potter. What did you just say?!"   
  
Harry looked to Ron in question as he answered Snape. "I said that they seemed like they were dreaming, or asleep but awake?"   
  
Snape looked calculatingly at Harry. Whatever he had just said had alerted something inside the Potions Master's head. Snape suddenly swept out of the room in a flourish of haste and compulsion.   
  
"Where's he going?"   
  
"I don't know...What did I say?"   
  
"Maybe he knows something about what's happened?"   
  
"Minerva?"   
  
"I think we should research sleeping potions and spells. Poppy, do you have anything that would work as a counter-curse against such magic?"   
  
"I believe so. You boys can go."   
  
Harry and Ron quickly departed, leaving the dazed Slytherins and fretting teachers alone.   
  
"What do you think they're going to do?" Ron asked Harry after awhile.   
  
"Probably get Dumbledore. Snape'll probably find something. He seemed to know something about it. Or at least, I think."   
  
"Maybe you're onto something, mate."   
  
"I don't know. I mean, how could they be asleep but awake? They weren't sleepwalking, and you'd think someone would've seen something."   
  
"You don't think it has to do with -him-, do you?"   
  
Harry suddenly had a strange sense of terror, and felt that this was the beginning of bad things to come. "I hope not. For their sakes."   
  
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It don't take that long to review...sooo...do it:)   
  
I think I'm starting to lose a bit of my sparkle and shine. At least in my opinion. I dunno...Hey, whatever you'd like to see, I'm always open to suggestions. Points to anyone who understood the allusion to Monty Python!   
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Yeah, well, what're ya gonna do? *puts hand up in question* hee hee   
  
star*dust: Hey, thanx a lot, and welcome! Glad you like what I'm doin'. This is the kind of feedback I like so I know what gets ya'll or not:) Yeah, it wasn't exactly a cliffe...I've been neglecting my Cliffhanger Queen duties of late *oops* Hope I didna make you wait too long:)   
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Another great review! Oh what ever will I do with my Potions Master? Hey, what I had to go take care of is between me and Snape...you can take that sentence any way you want...hee hee! Yeah, he's frightened by the idea of our children *Snape looks horrified once more, and retreats back to couch* He hasn't accepted the idea yet that we're in love *Snape actually faints* Yeah! That's what you get for hexing me and my reviewers! What would our children say?! * ... * Huh, that's humanity for ya. And glad you liked my Ron! I think that all good friends piss the others off for their own sake sometime, so Ron is the major candidate for that one:) I won't hurt any of them...yet (MUHUHAHAHA!). Nah, j/k, no major plans for any character harm-age coming up...soo...yeah.   
  
Katani Petitedra: *Snape laughs maniacally* Yeah, he really doesn't like lollipops, but that's no reason to light someone's tail on fire! *makes her Snapey clean up fire trails*   
  
Arizosa: I'm rather amazed that you actually took the time to e-mail me a review!! I feel so special! Thanx for reviewing even when FF.net wouldn't let you! Now -thats- determination! *huggles* And such a good review too! That's great feedback. Good to know I'm doing something right with Ron and Harry's characters. Ron is a true blue friend, plus he's stubborn. He wouldn't let Harry alone if Harry paid him:) And don't we all just love Snape? As I was telling ParanoiaIn2005, he's gonna be so good to our children *as Snape regains consciousness, he faints once more* heh heh. I'm a comfy bearhug? Yay! *hugs you...like a bear* That's so nice of you to say:) And hey, a review now and then is better than none at all:)   
  
Victoria: Hello and welcome to...umm...well...here! Thanx for taking the time to review and also to give my ego a much needed boost...(tee hee) I hope you continue to like it, as well as hope I can keep coming up with stuff:) I didn't think I was keeping it interesting and exciting, but you've helped to sway my opinion a bit...well, i hope so:) And here ya go!   
  
NO NAME, lol: Welcome to my realm of mystery:) I guess I get ta keep ya in suspense then, eh? heh heh heh...Cliffhanger Queen strikes once more!! Okay, I'll just get my lazy ass writin' then, shall I?   
  
Charmed-103: Yeah, that was incredibly freakin' short, and hopefully I won't do it again:) I hope Harry knows what he's doing, ya kno, telin' Ron and all...there could be serious backlashes *gasp* I'll try to write quicker and longer, damn my lazy bones. And that's fine if ya didn't review last time! Just good to kno you're still with us! *gives you a cookie*   
  
Anne: I think he watches me creepily sometimes from behind the couch. Snape has yet to catch him. Harry's clever that way:) You'd be surprised by the amount of school-read reviews I get! It's pretty funny:) Thanx for readin' me instead of doin' your work! I like to see that I'm an important contribution to the school-system:) heh heh heh...but damn Harry...now where'd he get to? *sees Harry hiding behind couch* Get outta there, you! *slap* 


	21. Reality as a Smack in the Face

Sorry it's taken so long guys. It was finals week (I totally failed my Econ final) and my computer's been on the fritz. I lost all my work for this last chapter:( and had to try to re-write it from memory. That, and I'm lazy as hell and fell into a serious case of writer's block(I've still got it by the way) Okay, problems aside, here's the next installment:)   
  
Chapter 21- Reality as a Smack in the Face  
  
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Harry and Ron left the hospital in a hurry to find Hermione. Things were starting to get strange (well, stranger. Things were already strange) and Harry was starting to have a bad feeling of wicked things to come. This incident with the Slytherins seemed to coincide almost too perfectly with the fact that Harry had revealed his secret to Ron. He was having doubts as to whether it was coincidental, and whether he should tell Hermione.   
  
It seemed an omen of sorts.  
  
"Ron," Harry said with immediate seriousness.  
  
Ron stopped in the middle of the hall, alerted by the tone of Harry's voice. "What?"  
  
"I don't think I should tell Hermione."  
  
"What? Why?" As if Harry wasn't already confusing enough. "If it's because of those Slytherins...You had nothing to do with that, so don't go sayin' anything about trouble, mate."  
  
"It just seems too perfect. I don't think it was chance that we came upon them, Ron."  
  
"You didn't do that."  
  
"I'm not saying I did." Although he had his doubts. "Look, first I tell you, and we come across this. Next thing I know, I'll tell Hermione, and-"  
  
"Tell me what?" an inquisitive voice asked behind Harry. He turned around to be face to face with Hermione.  
  
"I-uh..."  
  
"Tell you about the Slytherins in the courtyard," Ron interjected.  
  
"Uh-Yeah."  
  
"I heard about that already. I came to find you," she said looking intently at Harry. She didn't hold any such demeanor of the previous day that she did when she had gone crying from the Great Hall.   
  
Harry looked to Ron for help, but he was conveniently staring at the wall. "Hermione, listen. I-"  
  
"Harry." She looked around to make sure that they were alone. She was in no mood to cause a scene today. "If you don't want to tell me about yesterday, then that's fine. I won't let one incident get in the way of our friendship, and keeping secrets is fine. But really, Harry, keeping big secrets from your friends doesn't really make you a friend at all."  
  
Ron looked nervous, if not very guilty for already knowing, and Harry felt low. Very, very low. "Can we talk about this later, Hermione? Now's not good."  
  
"Why isn't now good?"  
  
"It just isn't. Not here out in the open. In the Common Room, or the dorms, but not here in the middle of Hogwarts."  
  
"Harry, I'm begging you. Please." She looked to Ron for some support, and was thoroughly surprised when he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Ron! What do you know?!"  
  
"...Nothing..."  
  
"What did you tell him, Harry?!" she demanded. Harry's expression told Hermione all she needed to know, and before she knew what was happening, her hand made firm contact with his cheek.  
  
"OW!"  
  
"Ow!" Hermione shook her hand to cool it off as Harry covered his cheek. When Harry's surprised eyes gawked at her, she stormed off down the corridor, leaving both boys reeling in the aftermath of her anger.  
  
Harry gaped openly at Ron, who smirked and clasped him on the shoulder. "She could've hit you somewhere else."  
  
"Has she always hit that hard?!"  
  
Ron laughed as Harry removed his hand from his face, revealing a crimson cheek. "Glad it wasn't me."  
  
"Think this is another sign?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"If she hits that hard for me telling you, then what will she do if I tell her?"  
  
"What will she do if you don't?"  
  
"I'd really rather not find out."  
  
*******  
  
After much deliberation and pleading with Hermione through girlfriends, Harry finally got her to come out of her dorm and down to the Common Room where he explained everything he had previously told to Ron, who received more than his share of glares from her.   
  
"And I didn't want to tell you, either of you, because of the risks involved. You know now, so you must be extra careful. Don't trust anyone or anything, and don't speak of it outside the Tower. I'm not sure how safe things are, especially after the incident with those Slytherins, and no one is even sure how that happened, so be on your guard. I'd kill myself if anything happened to either of you because I've talked."  
  
Hermione looked thoughtful at Harry's last sentence and Ron looked sulky. Harry wasn't sure how exactly they were handling the gravity of the situation. Ron didn't look half so dejected the first time he'd been through this, and Harry supposed it took awhile for it to sink in.  
  
"But just remember, I have 'detention' every evening, and I'm still not sure what I'm currently capable of, so just watch out. Not only for trouble, but also, watch out for me."  
  
"Harry, what do you mean? You aren't dangerous," Hermione said with certainty.  
  
"Yeah, mate. I proved it to you." Having said this, Ron gave Harry another punch in the arm, at which he tried to slug the youngest Weasley male back. "Too slow for ya, Harry. As we said before, you're not a danger to us."  
  
"Promise me you'll be wary though," Harry said, resigned to the fact that he could always get Ron back later. "Dumbledore himself said that the risks are great, and personally, I have no reason to doubt that he isn't joking in the least."  
  
"Everything will be fine. You'll see."  
  
"Ron's right, Harry. With Snape and Dumbledore both helping you, things should start looking up. I mean, you're already stronger, aren't you?"  
  
"That's what Snape seemed to think," Harry said, omitting unnecessary details.  
  
"Well that's good, isn't it?"  
  
"The thing is, I don't know why my magic is suddenly stronger. It could be due to any number of reasons-"  
  
"Not that you could just be progressing, eh?"  
  
Harry gave Ron an annoyed look, and Ron merely grinned. "I don't know, Ron, but I'm not taking any chances."  
  
"Don't worry, Harry. We're here for you, and you don't have to worry."  
  
"Right. Let us worry about us, and you worry about you. You've got more than enough going on already, and you don't need extra to worry about. And is that a gray hair?" Ron plucked at Harry's hair, and Harry pulled him into a headlock, ruffling the fiery-red.  
  
"This is for before!" Harry said with a vengeance, tickling while ruffling Ron's hair.  
  
"St-o-op!!" Ron shouted out at Harry. "Herm-m MIONE!"  
  
"Nope, I'll have nothing to do with this. We have a test to study for, and I will not waste time refereeing you two." She got up out of her chair, and tried to side-step the scuffle to get back to her dorm, but in a split second, both boys united against her, and she fell to a barrage of tickles.  
  
"Gah!!"  
  
"Take that Hermione!"  
  
"I'll kill you both!!"   
  
*******  
  
After more time than they should have spent attacking each other, they collected themselves against the furniture in the Common Room and were very pleased that no one saw them behaving so 'childish' as Hermione termed it.  
  
"As much fun as it is being with you boys, I believe it's time to buckle down and study." Ron groaned and threw himself upon the floor melodramatically. "Oh really, Ron. You of all people have no free time to waste." She didn't touch upon the subject of his detention with Snape, but she greatly wanted to get some school work done before she could return to her own research.   
  
"I have all the time in the world," Ron lied.  
  
"Well then, don't expect me to help you cheat tomorrow." She got up and proceeded to climb the stairs. Ron sat with his eyes closed as if he didn't care, and then suddenly sprang up after her as he realized that she wasn't going to come back and fetch him.  
  
"Hermione! Wait! I'm sorry! I need you! Please!" His voice started to disappear up the stairs as he chased after her begging for help to study.  
  
"Ron, I'll help you study!" Harry called up the stairs. He heard huffing and puffing before he actually saw Ron poke his head out of the stairwell.   
  
"I couldn't catch her. By the time I made it up the steps, they weren't steps anymore." He huffed.  
  
"That's okay. She'll be back. I'll study with you until we have our...detentions." Ron grinned and sat Harry down at a table with an armful of books. Harry immediately regretted taking on Hermione's job.  
  
*******  
  
Some hours past, Harry was making ready to go to Snape's dungeon for his training session. He was nervous, if anything, and hoped against hope that Snape would be able to figure out what was wrong with him, as well as a cure to whatever caused his strange visions. He didn't want anything to happen during classes, and he wasn't sure what he could do to stop them, or if he could even recognize them against reality.   
  
"I suppose I could always ask..." he smiled at his own stupidity and hopped out of the Common Room in the direction of the hospital. He wanted to visit Draco before his 'detention', and he had plenty of time to do so before hand.  
  
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Ummm...yeah, there you are. Short, I know, but it was either upload this now or have an even larger, scarier delay. Sorry I've been such a butt, guys. I have some of the most severe writer's blocks ever to hit anyone anywhere. I think I'm intimidated because I keep trying to get long chappies, and I end up getting scared 0.o But yeah, whatever. Sry again, and tell me what, if anything, you'd like to see. People...places...whatever...:)  
  
~And to those who have been so graciously patient~  
  
NO NAME, lol: Yeah, well, my titles include that of The Evil Demon Cliffhanger Queen, so yeah:) *Snape smacks you back* Geez, he's in a pissy mood today, isn't he? Well, you did bite him...and was that a threat?! Well, it got me goin':) Hope you enjoyed this chappie!  
  
RAV: I hope you like the way I'm portraying them, or else I really suck:) Okay, here's your update then.  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: No no, it wasn't the Imperius, but good guess:) You're on the right track:) Yeah, I looked back over it afterwards and I really have no explanation for why it effed up. I always have to upload as text cuz I have a dinosaur e-machine from like '97 with Windows 98, so yeah...  
  
Katani Petitedra: Points to you, then! *Snape gives you a get-out-of-detention-free card* Wow, he really is mood-swingy today...we betta watch out! Hope you liked this one!  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: *laughs* Yeah, I was seriously considering putting in that they were getting wicked stoned or something. :) it was very tempting. Oh, Snape would never admit he's experimented before...and he wouldn't dare admit how much he was the life of the party ...*wraps arms around her Sevvy* Yes, I suppose some things are better left unsaid:) *Snape looks horrified once again, and a little confused*  
  
Charmed-103: naughty naughty Slytherins! What would your Head of House say? *Snape looks at Slytherins with approval* Hey you! They ain't allowed to attack my reviewers! *Snape punishes Slythies* hee hee...there you are...  
  
Anne: I think Harry may be just as kinky as that godfather of his (see my glory story for explanation of joke:)) Oh, I'll make their days alright...hehe heh heh...*suddenly sees Harry creepily watching her from behind couch* AHH! *Snape chases Harry* hee hee...always good to me:)  
  
Arizosa: Maybe you could try anonymously giving reviews, but then again, the damn things keeps having proxy errors or whatever the hell that happens to them:) Glad to see you enjoyed Ron smackin' Harry. It just seemed like something he'd do. Well, Harry isn't exactly full-on wizard anymore, is he? but he's certainly not full dractnox either, so he sorta has to watch it. *huggles you back* You're so sweet! *Snape tries to escape from huggles* Get back here you!  
  
Earth Angel: Ooh! Yay! Thankies! And sorry about that =^..^= I've had a few problems:) 


	22. Screaming Pain

I'm such a butt for the inconsistency of my updating! Sry! *hides behind Snape* I'm going through a bit of a HP weird phase...My writer's block is still as great and terrible as before, but I'm trying to get ahold of it, and I think I'm winning:) I'll be starting Swim soon(and I'm bloody sick!), so I'm gonna work harder and faster because I'm going to be more busy:) It's not easy when you don't have enough time to get down your good ideas quickly...Okay, enough of my excuses, here's chap 22!  
  
Chapter 22- Screaming Pain  
  
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Harry jogged down the hall to the hospital wing making good time for allowing more than a brief visit with Draco. He hoped that the Slytherin was at least awake by now, and that he was feeling better. Madam Pomfrey had said that Draco would be there for awhile, and he knew that there wouldn't be many sincere visitors to come by and see him after what Ron did.   
  
Slytherins didn't like to associate themselves with failure.  
  
Harry quietly opened the hospital wing door, cautious of the newest arrivals in Madam Pomfrey's care, and poked his head in. Madam Pomfrey noticed his entrance immediately, and gave Harry an exasperated look.  
  
"Mr. Potter, what are you doing here now?"  
  
Harry's eyes flicked involuntarily to the privacy curtain which he knew Draco to be hidden behind. "I came to see Draco."  
  
"Now of all times?" She was still a little suspicious of Harry's concern for the Slytherin. How it was at all possible for Draco to have made friends outside of his own house was a mystery to her.  
  
"I won't be long," Harry tried.  
  
"Okay, Mr. Potter. Behind there." She watched as the boy smiled gratefully and left her to seek Draco. How their friendly, if uncharacteristic, acquaintanceship was possible was beyond her reasoning.  
  
Harry looked behind him to see Madam Pomfrey mumbling to herself and going about the many beds of the wing, seeing to her patients as he looked upon them himself. They didn't seem to be any better than they were in the afternoon, and the few that were awake followed him with their glazed eyes and that vague expression upon their faces. It weirded Harry out, to say the least, but he just supposed that they watched him because he was a moving object. He hoped that they had better days ahead.  
  
Harry approached Draco's private cubicle and took a breath before peering inside. He wasn't sure what he'd see, and he didn't want to intrude if Draco was upset with him.  
  
"Draco?" Harry peeked in and saw the platinum-haired boy laying on his side, back facing Harry. He crept in silently, not sure whether or not he should disturb him, and stood next to the nightstand which was lacking of any get-well tokens. It was disheartening.   
  
Harry poked Draco once. "Draco?"  
  
"Stop poking me, Potter," came an annoyed voice. Harry half smiled as Draco turned on his back slowly, coughing several times.   
  
"How are you?" Harry asked with concern.  
  
"How do you think?" Draco snapped, suppressing a cough.  
  
"Sorry," Harry said to his biting remark. "This shouldn't have happened to you."  
  
Draco took short, labored breaths to avoid coughing and bringing pain to his ribs. "Is...this what...it's like to be...friends with you?" Was that a joke? An actual joke from Draco Malfoy?   
  
"More or less." Harry grinned at Draco's usage of the word 'friends'. He suspected that Draco still held his current stance with him as opposed to being against him, like old times, regardless of what Ron did to him. "Do you remember what happened?"  
  
"I don't have...amnesia...Potter. Bloody Weasley..."  
  
"It was an accident, you know." Harry really didn't want Draco and Ron to be at each other's throats over this, even though things did seem pretty bad. And also their previous 'relationship' was hardly what Harry would call friends. But Ron -had- shown some remorse over what he did to Draco, regardless of past incidents.  
  
Draco coughed and winced in pain, and Harry noticed the bandages around his torso. "I thought Madam Pomfrey would've fixed your ribs by now."  
  
"She can't so...easily with this curse." He coughed again and cursed himself for showing such weakness.  
  
"She said you'll be out and about in two weeks," Harry told him blithely.   
  
"Oh joy...What's happening...out there?" he asked in respect to the hospital wing.   
  
"I'm not sure, but something's going on. There's a bunch of your house-mates here with you," Draco gave him a questioning look, "but no one knows what's wrong with them."  
  
"When did this...happen?"  
  
"Just today. Me and Ron found them all in the North courtyard-"  
  
"Them all?"  
  
"Yes. There's quite a few of them. All acting strangely. They won't speak, and they just have this glazed-over look on their faces."  
  
Draco looked alarmed, thinking both of the situation and for himself. If anyone found out he'd turned..."Do you think...it's Him?"  
  
"I hope not. Between you and me, Professor Snape seemed like he knew something about it, but he wouldn't say. And the other teachers don't seem to know what's going on either."  
  
"It's dark magic...It has dark...magic written all...over it."  
  
If Draco was right, and he most likely was, then this was incredibly serious. If Voldemort already had operatives inside the school, then they might know about the Omnivieve Glass, and in that case, Draco was in danger.   
  
"This isn't good."  
  
"Very smart...Potter."  
  
Harry grinned widely. Things were starting to fix themselves and fall back into their proper place. His plans to take things with more respect and to ignore petty, trivial problems in this school world as opposed to the real world were beginning to look up. They may have been hindered from previous events, but they were starting to look better than previously. Maybe this was all just a stage he had to get through before things got better. It could just be his body trying to adjust to all the changes he'd endured in so short a time, and why not? He was getting stronger in his magicking. Snape knew that fact personally. Yes, things were definitely getting better.  
  
Harry mentally checked his time, and decided that his visit with Draco was about over.   
  
"I gotta go."  
  
"Sure, Potter."  
  
"See ya later, Draco." Harry waved and left the privacy of Draco's curtain. He walked out into the rest of the hospital, guessing that Madam Pomfrey was doing something in her office upon noticing her absence. He furrowed his brow at the Slytherins in the bed. He really wished something better would become of them.  
  
He walked slowly, unnerved by the glazed over looks of Madam Pomfrey's charges, looking each in the eyes and seeing nothing of recognition. He nodded to a blond-haired boy, feeling obligated to do something, and saw something flicker in his eyes. Harry stopped, and looked for a moment longer, seeing something about the boy's expression.  
  
"P...Pot..."  
  
Harry's eyes widened and he stepped towards the boy, hearing him speak. "Are you...speaking to me?"  
  
"hel...me..."  
  
"Madam Pomfrey!" Harry shouted, wondering where she had got to, and looking at the boy in the bed. He was staring at Harry with something of recognition in his glassy eyes, and confusion was etched upon his face. Harry went to his bedside and tried to communicate. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Pot...ter..."  
  
"Yes, it's me."  
  
"...dan...ger..."  
  
Harry looked hard at the boy struggling to make words, fright now in his eyes. Did he say danger? What danger?   
  
"What do you mean? What danger?" What was this Slytherin telling him?  
  
"...da-" was all the boy could say, as his attempt at speech was interrupted by abrupt pain in his head.  
  
And then the earsplitting screams started.  
  
Harry put his fingers to his ears as the boy began to scream, and looked all about him for Madam Pomfrey. Surely she wouldn't have stepped out for a moment? Harry stood gripping his head to cover it from the screams as he saw the expressions on the faces of the other children twist in distress with the noise. He made eye contact with one, and the second he did, that girl too, started screaming.   
  
//Oh gods! What's happening to them?!//  
  
Harry didn't even hear Madam Pomfrey's frantic foot-falls as she came running into the room from somewhere back in her office.   
  
She didn't know which child to deal with first, and didn't know what could have happened. She saw Harry gripping his head, and started in to him, covering her own ears. "Potter! Are you alright?! What's happening?!"  
  
"They just started screaming!" Harry yelled over the screams. "I don't know what's wrong with them!"   
  
Madam Pomfrey went to the screaming boy first, extracting her wand from her robe and running it over him to see if she could detect anything, but she found nothing, and didn't quite know what to do.  
  
"Potter, run and fetch the Headmaster!" she yelled as she started mixing various vials at the boy's bedside. Harry nodded and ran out of the hospital as fast as his feet could carry him.   
  
//What's happening to them? And what danger was he talking about? He wanted my help...// Harry thought as he made his way through corridors at lightning speed. He didn't know what to make of all of it, and the look on Madam Pomfrey's face hadn't been good.   
  
Harry stopped momentarily as he realized he'd ran right past the stone gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. He ran back and quickly spit out the password, jumping onto the revolving stairs and awaiting his arrival at Dumbledore's office. Almost too long for his own good, he finally reached the door, and rapped a few times before hearing Dumbledore's voice murmur entrance. Harry opened it up, or more like burst through, and was a little dumbfounded by the sight of the Headmaster happily sitting by the fire enjoying a cup of tea with Faux the phoenix perched on the head of his chair.   
  
"Is something wrong, Harry?"  
  
"The...Slytherins...hospital wing..." Harry panted as he quickly gulped in air. "They're screaming...and Madam Pomfrey...wants you..."  
  
Dumbledore put his cup of tea down and rose out of his chair with a look of contemplation upon his face. He stroked Faux and strolled over to Harry, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder and allowing him to catch his breath.  
  
"The Slytherins in the hospital wing are screaming, you say?"  
  
"Yes. Madam Pomfrey sent me to get you. Something's wrong with them."  
  
"Well then I suppose I should be off, then," he said with a smile as if it was the most normal request in all the world. He started out of his office with Harry flanking him, giving the phoenix a quick wave good-bye.  
  
"And-"  
  
"You can go about your business, Harry. Thank you for alerting me."  
  
"I-" Harry remembered his appointment with Snape, and how by now he was already late. "Thank you, sir." He took off at a run again towards the dungeons, not wanting to face Snape's wrath, and at the same time, wondering what Dumbledore was going to do with Madam Pomfrey's charges.  
  
"Hiya, Harry!" he heard as he ran, seeing a blaze of red hair, and realizing that George was in the corridor looking less than mischievous. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"  
  
"Detention," Harry huffed out as he ran past, and George grinned, seeing that he was headed towards the dungeons of the castle, and therefore to Snape.  
  
"Have fun!" he heard chipperly after him in the hall. Of all the things to say...  
  
He quickly turned a corner and put on the last of his speed, finally bursting into Snape's classroom and practically dying from need of air.  
  
"You're ten minutes late, Potter," came an icy voice. Harry just huffed and puffed, feeling pain in his side from all the running, and his lungs burning for more air.  
  
"I was *gulp* hospital..."  
  
"How many points is that which you've caused Gryffindor to lose this week alone, Potter?" He looked at Harry with a scowl from the papers he was grading, not really wanting an answer, but expecting one just the same.  
  
"Thehospital," he huffed. "SlytherinsscreamingandIgotDumbledore..." He tried to speak quickly, as much as his breathing would allow, to explain why he was late. Not that it would matter much with Snape anyway...  
  
"What's that, Potter?!" he looked perturbed by Harry's quick speech and the nature of his sentence.  
  
Harry quickly gulped air and willed himself to calm down enough to speak clearly. "I was in the hospital visiting Draco-." He paused to swallow air. "And the Slytherins from earlier started screaming-." Another pause. "After one spoke to me-"  
  
"One of the children spoke?" His gaze was intent on Harry and none too serene. He got up out of his chair and swooped like the great bat he was over to Harry, wanting information.  
  
"He said my name, 'help' and 'danger'. And then he started to scream." He paused to take a deep breath. "And then a girl across the room started screaming as well, after I'd looked at her."  
  
Snape stiffened and narrowed his eyes in thought as Harry wheezed pitifully. He really shouldn't have run so hard.  
  
"You're not to go to the hospital anymore, Potter. And our session for tonight is canceled until further notice. Return to your Common Room." Harry looked at him unbelievingly, as well as deeply upset. Snape's voice was intimidating and icy enough to just about anyone, but the cold flat tone and seriousness resonating from it made Harry go glacial, consternation set deep into his face. "Leave, Potter."  
  
Harry quickly about-faced and left the dungeon, shutting the door on the way out as he heard a sharp noise come from within the room, and then silence. Whatever was happening, it was very big, and he knew Snape wasn't in the classroom anymore. He decidedly took it upon himself to go back to Gryffindor Tower.   
  
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Okais, sorry about taking so long to finally update. This isn't the end, but there will be one, and I plan more, so please have patience with me and I'll try my best to get more out. It's easier for me if the chaps aren't as long, but I'll try my best to get out some stuff:) Thanx for waiting so long, and I really don't blame anyone if you've decided to shun me:) heh heh...okay, here's to it then:)  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Partied in his youth? this was just last week! *grins cheekily at affronted-looking Potions Master* Hee hee...you know *winks* *Potions Master looks upon authoress with disdain* Yeah, well, whatever. *grins* Yeah, I know the last one was rather short, but oh well. At least I got it out. I'm currently writing two fanfics at the same time, and let me tell you, it is -not- easy to make deadlines:) This review was such a comfy hug to get me going you wouldn't believe:) Heh heh...kudos to me! And thanx for tellin' me about the action. I'm currently at a point where I need the extra push to write:) *jumps into Sevvy's lap* Isn't that right, darling? *Snape's eyes open wide* *snuggles up to Sevvy* *looks frightened*  
  
Charmed-103: I did have a lot of work, and my work load is indeed lessened, and hopefully enough to get these chappies out quicker:) Thanx a lot, and I'll try to make the chappies longer. There are some major points I'd like to get back too, and then we can finally get into the good stuff:)  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: Hope you liked that smack! I was dying to put it in! Originally, she was going to smack Ron, but it was just too hard for me to write that evil plot-bunny! Save me from the plot-bunnies!! *snuggles closely to Snape, who looks affronted once more* I would get a new compy, but those things cost money, and that's something I don't have:) I'm saving up for my Winter Formal, and then Spring Break, and then to move my ass outta here for college! GAHH!! If only there was a compy genie! I'm sure he'd give us each one:)  
  
Katani Petitedra: *Snape stares, almost as if trying to use mind powers, at you* Wow. That's creepy. *looks up at Snape* AHH! Oh, it's only you. *searches Snape's head* Not a single damn grey hair! How does he frickin' do it? *own hair is checked by Snape* Stop that! I know I'm stressed! ...mmm....I'll keep on goin'! Damn writer's block...  
  
bob-the-bear: Wow! I've got you reading two of my fics? I'm very touched:) Thank you so much!  
  
Anne: Kinky Harry...heh heh heh...Yeah, my writers block is terrible. It just won't come to me for this fic, and i feel so bad because my updating of this has been so erratic and slow:( Oh well, I'll do what I can and that's that:) heh heh...size 120 font...:)  
  
Fallen Angel: Thanx a bunch, and sorry I've taken so long. I know it's been a bit hectic, and probably confusing with such a long wait:) heh heh... 


	23. Angel Haze

Well, it has indeed been awhile *is lynched, stabbed, set aflame, poked with sticks, and generally tortured by reviewers for the damn long wait* I'M SORRY!! I'M SO SORRY!!! Things have been rather rough at home and not the best writing conditions for this particular fic, as I need to put a little more thought into than my others, and I do want it to be as good as it can. With that last losing of the data I had, stress of school, sports, and all the fights, it's been especially tough, but I'm trying, I swear! I'm writing my butt off to get somewhere with this fic!! I shall finish it come hell or highwater, and with this heatwave, hell is on the rise and the water is falling...so with all that said, let's get going...  
  
Chapter 23- Angel Haze  
  
...or, All seems well...  
  
********************************  
  
No sooner than Harry had left the dungeons was Snape already traveling by floo to the Hogsmede Apothecary. He needed rare and essential ingredients which even his vast personal stores did not house. The new symptoms of the Slytherin's affliction which Harry had described only proved his suspicions about the influence they were under, and it was nothing less than dark magic.  
  
Snape stepped out of the warm flames of the floo and into the Hogsmede Apothecary's shop with an air of urgency. He had no time to dawdle, and even less to get to work.  
  
There were shelves full of many ingredients: tropical plants, precious powders, and vials enough to baffle the mind, but Snape bypassed them all, knowing full well the ingredients he'd need were kept under careful lock and key by the Apothecary himself.  
  
"Sev'rus? Is that you my old eyes see?" a greying man behind the counter addressed him, squinting from under his glasses. Snape murmured a growl in response to the Apothecary and stepped up to the counter.  
  
"I have a list of components I need, and I won't be repeating myself," he stated with nothing less than his usual sneer. But it went wasted on the old Apothecary who knew him better than most did, and was hardly intimidated.   
  
"I'd expect nothing less of you, Pr'fessor." He had a quaint smile, deeply in contrast to Snape's sneering grin, and awaited the usual task of assisting the more skilled customers.  
  
"I need two Griffin feathers, one of a young Bolivian female and another of an elder English male; two satchels of powdered scorpionfish spines; one aquatic carnivorous nightflower; a vial of stewed bicorn powder aged with viper's venom; and a droplet of pure light encased in the body of a dead woodsprite."   
  
"Those certainly aren't along the line of your usual requests, Severus," the man said with curiosity and even a bit of fear, for he knew what those ingredients had the potential to become; deadly poisons, instruments of control; tools of death, and he had never before received a request for pure light.  
  
"I don't have time for idle prattle," Snape remarked with icy venom. The Apothecary nodded in agreement. He knew the man to be one of business and also of remarkable talent, so he hastened himself to get the requested items and disappeared for what seemed a lifetime, thought it be only moments, behind a curtain to the back of the shop.   
  
He appeared a few minutes later, his arms full of variable size boxes and small velvet satchels, and he placed them on the counter and quickly disappeared once more as Snape regarded the items to see it was all there.   
  
The Apothecary returned moments later, slowly and solemnly, with an intricately carved wooden box which held a single drop of pure light contained in the body of a dead woodsprite. It looked very old, and the box itself was covered in dust. It hadn't seen the light of day for centuries from the look of it.   
  
"Be careful with this one," the old man said, gently putting it in the Potion Master's hands. "No one's ever requested it before you, and it's properties are...unique."  
  
"I'm no fool," Snape remarked frigidly, and quickly paid a vast amount for his wares, gathering them up and returning by floo to his office at Hogwarts. He only hoped he had enough time to allow the potion proper brewing before the Slytherins got any worse.  
  
*******  
  
"Griffin quills," Snape muttered to himself, adding two Griffin feathers to a boiling cauldron. He watched the mixture turn from a cool blue to a violent red, and pleased, turned to slice up pieces of slimy nightflower. He added this to another smaller cauldron and took it off the flame while muttering a freezing charm on the simmering mixture, causing a hissing noise to sound as the nightflower melded into the blend.   
  
It was well-past midnight, and he had been ceaselessly working from the moment he had returned from Hogsmede. There was so much to do and age and boil that he feared by the time it would be done, it would be too late. He needed more time, any time, and as made clear to him the several times Poppy had been in to retrieve things from his stores, he knew things were only getting worse. He couldn't risk using a time-turner to give himself more time either, as taking the things with him would have an adverse affect on their purposes and how they reacted in his potion, and he most certainly couldn't gamble with that.   
  
And he was getting tired. As much as he hated to admit it, he was actually tiring from rapid work and lack of sleep. He'd already been up for thirty-three hours, and regardless of the potions he took to stay awake, sleep was weakening him.   
  
The high-level potion he was attempting took a long time to make even if one had the time to wait and stew it accordingly, but he did not, and so he was improvising and alternating with different charms, spells, and ingredients to save himself precious minutes and so hasten the potions without ruining or changing them. The hour in which he would know if it would work was soon approaching, and he could not fall victim to lethargy, especially with the caliber of ingredients he was working with. Things like carnivorous aquatic nightflower and Griffin feathers were volatile enough if not stewed properly, and even when stewed correctly, but he was working with pure light as well.   
  
Pure light, the embodiment of all that is good to muggle and wizard-kind alike, could counter almost anything that the dark could throw at it. But it was rare. Incredibly rare, and could not be given full-strength to anything lest it vaporize into what was referred to as 'Angel Haze'. It had only been used in few extreme cases over the centuries when dark magic could not be forced out with present techniques, and even then it was not always successful to the victim. Of course, it would drive the dark out, but it would take with it the victim and what made them human. There was no time for skepticism though, and this was needed.  
  
This was one of those cases. The specific problem with the Slytherins, as Snape had first suspected, had something to do with the dark wizards or witches unknown, even though he'd had his suspicions. With everything happening with Potter and the Omnivieve Glass and the sudden affliction of the Slytherins, Snape knew it was larger than any of that, and that what they were afflicted with was something far more advanced and dangerous than anything less of extraordinary.   
  
This was Voldemort himself working through the Slytherins. Why, Snape didn't specifically know, but if he was working through these inept children, then he must be desperate. And desperate times called for desperate measures.  
  
That was why he was using the pure light. Encased inside the body of a dead woodsprite was only one of the few ways to preserve and thus ensure the purity remained untainted by dark or destructive powers. It was with this that he hoped to force the dark out of these children should all else fail. Their dream-like trance was the first indicator Snape took as a warning, and the suddenness of the screaming Potter had described worked quickly to confirm his suspicions, although he'd hoped against hope it would not prove true: Voldemort was using the children to spy at Hogwarts. How, he hadn't been quite sure, but the magnitude of what was happening to them signified that one of his operatives was inside of Hogwarts, and that wasn't good.   
  
His suspicions about their dream-state were easily confirmed by some quick tests, but after trials to counter the specific magic involved, it proved fruitless. They were unresponsive to his potions he had easily in store, and it became fairly obvious that it was not the only thing wrong with them. Someone had mixed magics. Through the dream-like state of the illusionus spell, Voldemort could see through their eyes, however poorly, and gather whatever information that the children may come upon. Not only that, but through magic working similarly to a pensieve, he was able to draw out their memories and any information they therefore had in their minds. Unlike a pensieve, however, this information was terribly hard to understand and was often so jumbled that anyone without patience would abandon it. But Voldemort had patience, and many minds working for him, including minions who he could count on to attack and curse random children.  
  
But had cast the spell? It was improbable that it had been a student; the magic was far too advanced. Yet something must have went wrong, because it made no sense, even for the Dark Lord, to utilize immobile, unresponsive children who could gather nothing from peers and teachers alike, even if he could steal their memories. And they were aware of what was happening around them as well, to some degree, which was just as curious if not as bad.   
  
The impromptu speaking to Potter was worrisome too, and their persistent staring at him was dangerous. That's why he'd forbidden Harry to going back to the Hospital. He knew far too much. Voldemort was watching through their eyes. The screaming was a surefire sign that he was watching. Warning the Potter boy would be of great risk to the Dark Lord, and now all the children were in pain for it, screaming, being mentally destroyed a little more after each consecutive hour. After a certain amount of time, they would be beyond help, and that thought alone kept Snape working feverishly to save them.  
  
*******  
  
"Drink it all down...every drop...There you are," Poppy said to a small blond Slytherin as Snape handed her vial after vial of colored liquid, hoping against hope that this remedy would work, otherwise the children would be lost. Snape, regardless of his usual snarkiness and confident composure, was tired as hell and more pale than usual. He was terribly anxious for the children, and threatened them, amid the doctoring, that they had better get well or he'd take off so many house points that Slytherin would be in the negatives for years to follow.  
  
But it wasn't easy getting the children to drink the stuff, much less threaten them to good-health. Poppy had long since cast a silencing charm on the whole ward to keep the screams of pain sequestered to the hospital only. And she had tried numerous things to relax them and end their screams of pain if not do something to numb it, but they still screamed, even in their sleep. The only thing to do was restrain them physically and force-feed them, trying to get all the necessary potions down their throats.   
  
And after numerous tries and several Slytherins later, all potions had been administered and a disheveled and much wearied Poppy joined an equally apprehensive Severus leaning against a wall of the wing. She found herself afrighted, however, when she noticed Dumbledore next to her, never even noticing his arrival.  
  
"Albus!"  
  
He gave her a smile, recognizing her sudden notice of him, and addressed Snape over the screams. "I trust that the brewing of the potions went well, Severus?"  
  
"As much as I can dare to hope, Headmaster."  
  
"Ah," he said, twinkling eyes catching the extent of Snape's fatigue and the obvious strain the waiting was putting on the Potion's Master. "Would you listen to that?"   
  
"What?" Poppy asked, and then her eyes went wide. "Silence." They drew their attentions to the children in the beds, who were currently silent as the grave and just as still. Poppy looked relieved and ecstatic, wondering just how tired she was not to have noticed the change in sound. She looked to Severus with delight, but he did not share her happiness.  
  
"That's only the Griffin feathers paralyzing them. It hasn't had a chance to work yet."  
  
"But it is, I think, having effect, if not a positive one."  
  
Snape regarded the Headmaster with fatigued, worked eyes, and awaited more signs that it was taking effect.  
  
Immediately, the children started to twitch as the paralyzation wore off, and immediately they clutched their heads in pain and started screaming anew.  
  
"Did it not work?" Poppy asked wracked with nerves at seeing everything return to the way it was mere minutes before.  
  
"It's working," Snape stated, watching them as they clutched their heads and their screaming lessened. "The poisons are burning out His influence in their minds, and the nightflower is repairing what damage He's done."  
  
"And now is the moment of truth," Albus interjected, watching with the pleased eyes of one who has just won a year's supply of free Butterbeer.  
  
Snape hoped it would work. Oh Gods he hoped it would work. Just because the pre-steps had been effective didn't mean that the stewed bicorn powder would work in conjunction with the purity of the light. And considering it did work, and forcefully drive out every bit of dark and malice that was Lord Voldemort, there was still the chance that the Slytherins wouldn't survive the use of pure light, even when contaminated with the viper's venom in the stewed bicorn powder.   
  
They all watched, waiting and waiting, as the Slytherins grew still in their beds and gave every semblance and mockery of a peaceful sleep. It was almost sickening to watch, waiting for the decident moment of life or death that all relied on Snape having been in time and the potion having been brewed correctly.   
  
In unison, each child contained in each bed gave a jolt and spasm as their bodies were purged of everything dark and tainted that had ever touched them in their lives. The viper venom rushed through their veins, poisoning and burning everything as the bicorn powder healed and made anew their previously poisoned flesh. The Professors watched as the bodies convulsed and started to glow a brilliant white. The pure light was taking effect on them, but it wasn't supposed to make them glow so. A white mist started forming around them, and all at once, Snape knew something had gone wrong.  
  
It hadn't worked. For all his time and labors Severus had been too late to help them! Everything in his mind, he immediately doubted as he saw the Angel Haze rising slowly above the beds, knowing that the pure light was too much for their bodies to handle.  
  
"Is...is it...?" Poppy asked with a horrified expression if that was supposed to happen as she watched the dispersing mist above the beds.   
  
"No..." Snape uttered, trying to think of something, anything, that he could do to stop it. He knew of potions that could pull a person back from the brink of death, but by the time he'd got to it, he would be too late.   
  
"-Vivitus embodius-," Dumbledore mumbled a soul-attraction spell, and the Angel Haze pulled back together into the forms of their masters, swirling back down to the beds and becoming solid and colorful Slytherins once more.   
  
"Thank Godric!" Poppy said under her breath, and immediately ran to the bedsides of the wholly solidifying Slytherins, checking for pulses and breath, as well as temperatures, heart-rate, aura, and whatever else she could think of. The ancient spell the ancient man used worked to complete the full healing of the afflicted Slytherin children, now whole and safe in their hospital.  
  
Snape slumped against the wall, drained emotionally and physically as the breaking of dawn gave way to morning. Almost too late. Had Albus not used that spell...  
  
He was thoroughly disgusted with himself and his failure. Nothing short of a failure was this, and almost too close had he cost these students, these Slytherins, their lives. "Thank you, Headmaster," he said as Dumbledore looked at him with twinkly, pleased eyes.  
  
"You did very well, my boy," he regarded his Potions Master with great pride, who merely frowned in disapproval. "Don't look so dour. Your brew was a great success. This is a happy occasion!"  
  
"I used too much pure light."  
  
"It's a tricky substance, and you did fine. Thanks to your potions, Severus, I believe that these children can now get back to their studies. I suggest we toast to this and then you get some sleep. Can't have a half-dead Professor teaching our young minds, can we?" He smiled as he made glasses of butterbeer appear and poured enough for a reasonable toast, making Snape take two congratulatory glasses, and then off to bed.  
  
*******  
  
"From what I've heard, they're all better, and Professor Snape says I can visit the hospital again."  
  
"They're all better? How? What was wrong with them?  
  
"I don't know, but Dumbledore wants to speak with me in his office instead of going to see Snape for training."  
  
"Sounds like you got the best end of things, then."  
  
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in their common room discussing what had happened only the night before, when Harry had been turned away from his training by Snape. The following day, in which Harry was very happy to not have experienced anything out of the ordinary, Dumbledore had stood in for Snape during Potions, which was unusual in the least, but not anything mourned over.   
  
Little to say, nobody thought Potions could actually be fun. It was this day that suspiciously coincided with no trips to the infirmary and no exploded, melted down, destroyed cauldrons on Neville's part; a feat which amazed everyone. But Snape was back today, and little to say, he didn't look pleasant in the least. Not to say that he ever looked pleasant, but everything seemed back to normal, and after the latest exploded cauldron, everything felt just as it had before.  
  
But there was the one exception to the rule, and that was that Harry knew that big things were going down inside and outside Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.   
  
***********  
  
Well, if none of you guys are around anymore, I don't blame you. I'm sorry it's taken so long (once again) and I'll try to get another chapter up sooner than the time it took for this. But anyway, here's my responses :)  
  
~*For my Darlings who would lynch me if they got the chance:)*~  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Thankies ^_^ Snape is a prat. He was about the biggest prat at that crazy-ass keger we had awhile ago *Snape looks mortified* That, of course, is the REAL reason it's taken me so long to update- Snape and I were drunk off our broomsticks *is shot scary icy daggers of death- aka Snape's glare* Heh heh...I've really had the most severe...us (had to use the play on words;) Writer's block imaginable, and then right out of the blue, here comes little-miss-inspiration (-name of plotbunny gone on vacation) and here I am writing. I really hope to God I can get this story finished soon (but well-done, of course). It shall be finished or strike me dead! *is cursed* SNAPE!!  
  
PhoenixPadfoot89: I hope you're not as baffled as I left you...That can have serious medical consequences for me having left you like that for so long...Are you okay? o.O  
  
Arizosa: Writer's block is the devil. That's all I have to say:) Yeah, Harry's face does make people scream when they see him:D heh heh:) But, umm...hope ur compy works now:)  
  
bob-the-bear: Well, at least I know you're still out there somewhere. Seen ya often in the PotC:D Anyway, hope everything's been cleared up. To some extent, at least...  
  
Charmed-103: Umm...I guess I sorta let ya down in the "update quickly" area....heh heh...oopsy! Eye-contact was major! Good guess!  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: Hope I haven't kept you too waited, and thanx for believin' it's original...still...and a fun read. I hope I haven't messed up too badly with the long wait. That is to say, I hope I'm still in the groove:)   
  
me, no, you, er, what?: Thanx:)  
  
Snowelf12: If you've taken me off ur fav's for the long wait, I understand completely. Anywho, thanx so much and sorry to keep ya waitin'!:)  
  
Anne: Takes you awhile to get around to things? Look at this update. Who are we kidding? Anywho, I'm in the OC part of SoCal, so...yeah, stalk me. And thankies much!  
  
Quatre Winter: Well, I've taken forever, but here's that chap. Glad you enjoyed the last one, and I swear to God I'm working on the writer's block thinger. Actualy, I think I'm gettiing over it *knocks on wood* I'm a firm believer in Murphy's law:)  
  
NO NAME, lol: Sorry I've been so inconsistent in updates. In really suck there, I know, but I am trying...soo...rejoice!! 


	24. The Interrogation

Family problems are basically resolved since, what was it, May? Well, they're as good as there're gonna get and well, yeah, everything's been better. I've finally graduated, been enjoying my summer so far, got a cell-phone (FINALLY), and been keeping relatively busy. Yeah, I've found out why I'm having trouble writing this: It's because I'm currently in a romance-writing mode. That's why I've been negligent (read: terrible authoress). So yes, I'll try my best, guys, and just keep on writin'!  
  
Chapter 24- The Interrogation

=..=..=..=..=..=..=  
  
"And I swear, I don't even need those ugly glasses anymore! My eyes are better than they've ever been!"  
  
Harry bit down on an apple as he listened to a Slytherin girl talking the ear off her friends. She was one of the same who'd been in the hospital, and she looked downright cheery. A little too happy, even.  
  
"Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up, then?" her friend asked her.  
  
There was a gasp and then a resounding smack following the giggling of her friends. "That's obscene!"  
  
Harry laughed to himself as he got up from his seat under the tree by the lake and headed back towards Hogwarts castle. All week the Slytherins had had to stay in the hospital, for good measure, as Madam Pomfrey had said, and since they were released all Harry had heard was how good they felt and how all their aliments were gone. There hadn't been much unpleasantness on their part, as far as Slytherins go, and each seemed to have a rather cheerful disposition. One swore his quidditch injury was nonexistent and that the joint was better than any magical treatments his father had bought. It was strange, to say the least, and all he knew was that Snape had something to do with it. As unusual as the concept of Snape making people feel good for a change was, it put more respect for the man into Harry.  
  
After yet another brief questioning turned strange interrogation from Dumbledore and Snape about what he'd seen regarding the Slytherins in the courtyard, any unsolicited news from the Dractnox or suspicious behavior, and far more questioning about rabbits than he would have thought humanly possible, Harry had escaped to the edge of the lake for some quiet time as well as to think. It was the fifth time they'd called him in that week, or at least the fifth time he'd been to Dumbledore's office. Each time the Headmaster had someone new with him. Sometimes it was a professor, others the token auror or spell expert. And he was sick of it already. The latest questioning with Snape and Dumbledore had been the most confusing and decidedly serious yet, and in no way did it settle his mind.  
  
There were big things happening about him, and most certainly a building air of tension about the castle. He felt it in his very being, and by the way the teachers had been skittering about lately, he knew they felt it, too. And he felt helpless about it, whatever -it- was. Granted, he was becoming more powerful, but he was still wary. And he didn't want to use the Dractnox unless he had to. They were still worrying him as of late, even though Snape assured him- after many more training sessions- that nothing terrible would happen should he decide to use them. But the way they were fluttering about this week, incredibly fast for their slow, gelatinous, syrupy-forms, frightened Harry into not using them.  
  
They were becoming erratic, even, darting about almost as fast as Harry was running across the castle grounds to the hospital wing. Their sheer speed rushing about frightened Harry from using them. It occurred to him that they might be acting that way because of -disuse-, but he wasn't going to chance it.  
  
It was as if they knew something was going down as well.  
  
And that in its own did nothing to calm Harry's nerves. Everything was getting strange, even for the wizarding world, and the morning's questioning hadn't helped his frayed nerves one bit.  
  
If anything, the whole ordeal and its inane questions helped to stress him out even more. He didn't count it among his most fond of times.  
  
=..=..=..=..=  
  
"But what could Potter possibly know about the ordeal that we don't already? Questioning the boy again will only turn up more loose ends...Unless he was somehow responsible-"  
  
"Your apparent affection for the lad does not go unnoticed, Severus," the Headmaster jested, eyes twinkling with the look on the dour potions master's face. The statement had the desired effect and Snape held his tongue as they awaited Harry for more than just questioning. Whatever had gone on that afternoon had nearly caused those Slytherins their lives, and although Snape was still training the boy, albeit accusing him of playing a part to it somehow, Albus knew it was out of concern that the man was extra harsh. Concern and damaged pride.  
  
By now, they had gathered sufficient evidence to prove that what had caused the Slytherins their affliction was tied into a complicated potion and networking of spells that aurors were still trying to find the origin to. The potion used was one of a simple variety, but for the fact that it had been combined with others of its type and difficulty level, making it far more adversible than it would otherwise have been. That small fact in its own had nothing to do with the desired effects. There were many other potions which could have done the job in a similar fashion. The reality of the situation was that the potion used on the Slytherins was brewed not only for its purpose, but to mock Severus.  
  
Such a certainty that such complications were linked to Voldemort and the art of potions put Severus on higher alert than usual. He'd received no word or indication that the Dark Lord was moving plans into motion or for what purpose he'd risked attacking the children other than for information. Information about what, he couldn't readily say. There was no important, superior information to be had in residence of a hospital wing. The whole point had him more than baffled and worried that he couldn't foresee the Dark Lord's plans. Not only that, but since he hadn't been informed, it proved that his life was on the line, and that, if not the Dark Lord himself, then his disloyalty to Him was suspected by the potion brewer. The simplicity of the potion itself proved that much.  
  
Questioning Potter turned up nothing useful of late. Several students were asked if they had seen anything, but other than the snide comment that Slytherins weren't to be trifled with, helpfully or otherwise, no new information was found out.  
  
Ron had been brought in, but he proved as useless as the next student in their consideration of Slytherins. He hadn't seen much more than Harry, and Snape's patience was wearing thin.  
  
"And what of the brewer? They were clever enough to hide their signature, but the blatant simplicity of it was meant as a smack to my face."  
  
"There are chances that someone in His inner circle has their suspicions about you, my boy, that much is obvious, but we must be patient. Once we learn the identity of the culprit in all, certain steps can be taken. Voldemort doesn't yet have reasonable cause to suspect you, otherwise you'd have been summoned by now. Have patience my boy."  
  
Patience. That was something he didn't have.  
  
There came a rap at the door, and Dumbledore bade Harry enter. "Sorry to have you up and about so early, Harry, but I fear this is all rather necessary," Dumbledore said with a kind smile.  
  
"It's alright," Harry replied rather contrarily to his feelings. Dumbledore's office was something of an interest no matter how many times one had been there, but he'd really rather not, given the circumstances. It was the fifth time this week he'd been called in, and like he didn't see the man enough already, Snape was there as well.  
  
"Harry, I want to talk to you more about what you saw in the courtyard that day, and leave out no detail no matter how small and insignificant you may think it to be."  
  
Harry nodded with no surprise whatsoever. This was exactly what had transpired the past few days, and the monotony of it only varied with the audience he had in the telling. He went through him and Ron finding the Slytherins, trying to commune with them, his waiting for Ron to get help, his Head of House showing up and then getting them to the infirmary. He'd told it so many times over that he wasn't the least bit surprised he had it memorized.  
  
Snape huffed from irritation at the ease with which Harry had recited the story. They were getting nowhere with this, that he knew.  
  
"Harry, I'd like to try something different, if I may?"  
  
"Sure," he agreed without question. He trusted Dumbledore, and anything to figure this out and end the damned telling and re-telling of the incident was welcome.  
  
The man in question rose from his seat and came to stand in front of Harry's. "Close your eyes and concentrate. I want you to concentrate on that moment very hard, Harry. I'm going to try a form of Legilimens on you, but I need you to relax and concentrate. It will work something like a pensieve, except I'll be extracting nothing from your mind, but merely observing." Harry nodded and sat back a bit apprehensive, wishing that Snape wasn't in the room. He could deal with that man rummaging about in his head and then throwing him off, but what about Dumbledore? "You'll feel my presence in your mind, but don't fight it," he told Harry with almost mind-reading accuracy. "I need your full cooperation for it to work."  
  
"Okay," he said with eyes closed, listening and waiting for further instruction. Nothing happened, and he opened his eyes a crack, seeing not the Headmaster's office nor Snape's scowling countenance, but the airy stone halls of Hogwarts around him.  
  
He fully opened his eyes, seeing Ron at his side, speaking something about Hermione and jewelry and Harry realized he was re-playing that afternoon in his mind.  
  
It was like a dream. He was saying and doing things he had done days before in perfect accuracy, and yet he had no control over himself to do anything different. He was with Ron, confronting the Slytherins in a circle and trying to get a response out of them. Ron ran off to get help. Harry sat there watching them and chucking stuff at the bush as the rabbit came and went, McGonagall showed up and Ron went away again with distaste, and the two ushered the Slytherins to the hospital wing where they met up with Snape and Ron once more, and then they were dismissed.  
  
Harry blinked and the scene before him was gone, replaced by the thinking face of Dumbledore and that of the scowling potions professor. He was given a glass of water by Dumbledore as he suddenly realized his terrible thirst, and downed it as the man went to seat himself once more.  
  
"Anything useful?" he asked as he set the glass down, which was quickly magicked away.  
  
"I'd like to ask you about that rabbit," the old wizard replied, watching Harry intently. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Snape stiffened suddenly, but quickly regained his composure as his glare turned on Harry.  
  
"Alright," the boy said defiantly, more to Snape's glare than answering Dumbledore.  
  
He'd forgotten about that rabbit, and what the damned thing had to do with any of this was anybody's guess. It made him feel a bit guilty that he'd forgotten to mention the thing, even after so many tellings. It just hadn't seemed important, and he'd forgotten it. It wasn't like a seeing a unicorn inside the castle grounds; it was easily forgotten. There were animals constantly running all over the place: toads, cats, rats, chickens, owls, and the odd weasel or the like that wasn't a pet belonging to a student. It was understandable to have forgotten something like that, but not easily forgiven if it proved valuable information. Harry hoped he hadn't made a mistake.  
  
"Can you describe the rabbit, my boy?"  
  
"Yeah. It was a white rabbit, about as big as a cat, and I think it lives beneath that bush in the North Courtyard." It was a sad description, simple, rather lame, but there's not much in the way of describing something as simple as a white rabbit.  
  
"Why do you think it lives beneath the bush, Harry?"  
  
"Well, it hopped out and ate something, and then went back in-"  
  
"How many times have you seen it, Potter?" Snape interrupted impatiently, growing tired of this inane questioning.  
  
Harry turned his attention to Snape, and answered with furrowed brow. "At least twice. And at the same bush."  
  
"When was the other time, Potter?" he asked quickly, coldly. Harry frowned at the barely-contained eager-impatience to the man's voice. If he ever showed any emotion, it was hardly what one could equate to this. It was almost worry; apprehension, and Harry didn't like it. Especially when it was Snape it came from.  
  
"It was after- or before I was coming to a training session. At the same place." He thought for a minute. "It was rustling in the bushes, and I looked and I saw it there."  
  
"Did it act strange for a rabbit?" Snape took over the questioning and Dumbledore allowed it graciously. He knew that of all people, Severus had the most to immediately worry about.  
  
"No. Just a rabbit. Why?"  
  
"Was anything about it's manner strange to that of a rabbit?" Snape asked coldly, ignoring Harry's inquiry.  
  
"No, it just hangs around that bush," Harry answered with suspicious defiance. What in the hell was so important about a rabbit? "It was there that night I found it, and then I saw it after those Slytherins were found there."  
  
"It might have a burrow," Snape told Dumbledore with a scowl, dismissing his acknowledgment of Harry's presence.  
  
"Was there anything at all strange about that rabbit. Anything that might not have struck you as strange at the time, my boy?"  
  
"No," Harry answered, equally snubbing Snape. "It seemed pretty tame, but most of the animals around the castle are." Subconsciously, he peered over at the great phoenix sleepily watching them.  
  
"Tame?!" Snape veritably spit the word like venom.  
  
Dumbledore asked him a few other questions regarding the Dractnoxes, their behavior, and the courtyard, and smiled in acknowledgment.  
  
"Thank you, Harry. Off you go now," Dumbledore regarded him kindly. Harry happily left, his mind spinning with questions that wanted answering, but he dare not ask at the moment. Not Dumbledore, nor those Dractnox creatures, and especially not Snape. Not until it became imperative, or if he was specifically asked to by the Headmaster.  
  
As the door clicked shut behind Harry, Snape faced Albus with a thinking frown.  
  
"A rabbit. A simple little white rabbit conveniently in the right place at the right time." He paced the office floor as Dumbledore helped himself to some conjured tea, seemingly unfazed by this important information.  
  
"I recall having a promising young student who's animagis form turned her into a white rabbit," Albus said almost nonchalantly as he sipped his tea, "but sadly defected. And she was rather good at potions as well. Almost as skilled as you, my boy."  
  
Snape regarded the ancient wizard before him with a frown of old rivalry and still present loathing. "Belletrix Lestrange."  
  
=..=..=..=..=..=..=  
  
There's this really funny site called: potterpuppepals . com (without the spaces, of course) that made me laugh ten times over! You should really check it out! Hilarity at it's best! By the way, I'll work my butt off on this! I swear! It shal be done! Oh yes, yes it shall.  
  
And for those hangers on...  
  
FallenAngel: The whole potion had to be given out before it could take effect:D if that pleases you:)  
  
mrs-osbourne's-class: Yes, it may take me a helluva long time (because damn it all! I'm slow) to get the thing done, but I won't allow it to be one of those fics that just never get finished. It WILL be finished!! Even if it kills me;) Hopefully not:D  
  
I'm not the weakest link: Thanx!  
  
NO NAME, lol: Yes, forever to update, just like this chap:D I know, I'm terrible...but I'll try! I really will!  
  
Xanadrine: OMG I'm sorry if I've kept you waiting this whole time! Hope you found some other fic to occupy yourself with;)  
  
Cornflake: Yeah, hap-hap-happy that last chap...You like angsty stuff, eh?:D  
  
hydrokitty: Who referred you? Give them my thanks, as well as my apologies for taking so damn long:)  
  
Scourge of the 7 Seas: Thankies! Glad you liked that!  
  
divinething: Yeah, the characters are a bit iffy (when I'd started, it was a bit different, but I've become rather slack...sorry!) I think HP fics are easier because you can just come up with new spells, respecting the rules of others already in existence, of course. Having extensive learning in the Latin language helps too:D Everything Rowling has used has it's basis in classical literature and language. The spells have latin (sometimes Italian) roots, some characters are named after Roman senators (Lucius, Severus) and others have their basis in myths, like Argus Filch, for example. Argus was the name of the thousand-eyed monster that watched over Io, I believe it was, to make sure she didn't get into trouble. Kinda like her jailer. And then our Argus Filch watches over the students in a similar fashion. I think it's all rather fascinating:)  
  
doublewats: Hey, just glad you've enjoyed what you've read so far!!  
  
kckfchicks: Thanx a bunch!  
  
S.S.I.: Thankies so much, and damn that that review was lost!:) I get fanfiction confused with actual series a lot, too. It makes me feel such a fool sometimes;) I have to re-read them to be sure of what -has- happened and what hasn't:)  
  
Xestyone: I know, I know. I suck with these infrequent and in-between updates! But I'm workin' hard! I swear to you!!  
  
Snowelf12: Well, I have done some research, and I always try to get stuff right, but thanks a lot, and glad you're enjoyin' it:)  
  
PaddycakePadfoot: Thanks for hanging in there and thinking it's a good fic. I personally think what I write is trash, but whatever:)


	25. Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire

OH. MY. GOD! Can you all believe it?! We have an updated chapter!! It's amazing! It's stupendous! And it took me less than 2 months this time (I know, I'm awful and neglective, but I crashed into my fence and midterms took a majority of my time, but now I'm back!!) Anywho, now that everything's sorted out, hopefully we'll see chapters that are less than a month apart;) a-heh heh...heh...Okay, enough of that, onto the story!  
  
Chapter 25: Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire  
  
-------  
  
"Are you quite sure you want to do this, Minerva?"  
  
"I'm quite capable, Albus, if that's what you mean."  
  
"I was only suggesting that you don't have to take the duty upon yourself."  
  
"Posh. I'm not going to let some bumbling ministry official come in here and cause all sorts of unnecessary raucous and alert the enemy that we're onto them. Besides, I'm the only one small enough to fit into the burrow."  
  
It was far past midnight, and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape were en route to the North Courtyard for a bit of sleuth-work. Since the recent discovery of the rabbit and it's devious nature, the courtyard had been "quarantined" under the guise of spraying for agitated, aggravated lawn gnomes to protect the students. Such an excuse was readily accepted after word of what had happened to those Slytherins had gotten around, and the students voluntarily kept their distance.  
  
And now it was time to execute the plan, specifically involving that of sending Minerva down the veritable rabbit hole in her animagis cat form, and seeing where it lead. It had risks, to be sure, and going in after Belletrix Lestrange wasn't a good idea, in animal form or otherwise, but they needed to know from where and how she was able to get in, and if need be, collapse the burrow for the safety of the students.  
  
Minerva was all but adamant at the thought of having some ministry official come out and do the job which she could complete in minimal time and with having the element of surprise on their hands. She felt the situation was too big for the ministry to handle ("The incompetent twits," she said, bristling) and volunteered at the emergency Order meeting to do the task herself. They'd taken far too much time talking and even less action, so she'd volunteered, and this is where it lead them, the cold North Courtyard at three in the morning.  
  
"Remember, five minutes, and get out at that time else we need to come in after you."  
  
"Your concern is duly noted, Severus," Minerva responded with a smug grin. He merely frowned in his Snape-ish way as they awaited the right moment. He hated Belletrix Lestrange more than anything, and even worse than the average Death Eater, she was certifiably insane.  
  
But then, Azkaban did that to a person.  
  
One second Minerva was there, the next a tabby cat sat on the ground in her place. She mewed up at Dumbledore and seconds later disappeared into the hole.  
  
The minutes seemed like hours as they waited in the silence, warm breath turning to steam in the cold of the night. It was silent but for Snape's pacing and the ticking of Dumbledore's pocket watch.  
  
As the five-minute time-limit came and went, they watched the rabbit hole with expectancy. At seven minutes the tension grew. Nine minutes had Snape pacing back and forth muttering various curse words. Once ten minutes had come and gone, Snape was rather unmanageable and even Dumbledore seemed perturbed.  
  
"Does the woman have no sense of time?!" Snape hissed as he glared at the dark rabbit hole. "The limit is twice up! Can she not follow plans?!"  
  
"If I didn't know that you said that out of concern, Severus, I'd have to curse you myself," the aforementioned woman said as she brushed herself off and walked away from the bush.  
  
"What did you find out?!" he asked, ignoring her remark.  
  
"Give her a moment, my lad," Dumbledore told him with a warm smile.  
  
She came to stand before them and finished brushing the dirt off her robes. "The tunnel goes on practically forever and I could smell her scent in it everywhere. She was there recently." "Not surprising."  
  
"When I finally reached the end, I was somewhere within the Forbidden Forest. Far within it. I sniffed around but there was no trail to follow; no scent. I believe, Albus, that she apparates there and then comes to the school in this way."  
  
"That may be a problem we can easily fix. But we need to know -where- it is she's apparating from," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.  
  
Snape mentally cursed. These things could never be easy.  
  
---  
  
Harry was dueling with Ron during the afternoon. It was much needed practice for the both of them, and Harry thought it was a sure way that he could get rid of a little excess magic.  
  
The sparks had started yesterday. He was sitting with Ron in the Gryffindor common room, playing Gobstones (Ron had a most commanding lead) and discussing what to do about you-know-what and you-know-who. Harry was giving Ron the sickles they'd wagered over the game, when he shocked him, and shocked him good.  
  
Throughout the game, touching the Gobstones and things of that nature had given Harry a little static electricity-like shock, nothing to be concerned about really, but there were veritable sparks when transferring the coins from his hand to Ron's.  
  
"Nothing to worry about," Ron had said, rubbing his hand. "It's just a fluke."  
  
But the fluke happened again and again throughout the rest of the evening. At dinner Harry accidentally shocked Seamus in passing the potatoes, and the sparks from that had nearly caught Neville's robes on fire. Ron suggested jestingly that Harry go and sit with some Slytherins and catch a few of -them- on fire, but it got Harry thinking once more that he was a danger to himself and those around him. Going back to Gryffindor tower was no better an ordeal, the sparks coming off him nearly sending the Fat Lady into a fit (which was understandable as paintings were highly flammable) and once inside even Crookshanks, Hermione's bandy-legged tabby cat, wouldn't come near him.  
  
He'd stayed up most of the night worrying and watching as the sparks became more numerous and frequent, jolting off his hands and fingertips like celebration fireworks. He had Hermione cast a charm to fire-proof his bed earlier, and it was a good thing too as he'd dozed off and woken the next morning with sparklers for fingers.  
  
Fred and George paid him a visit ("We could use you as a human firework!") and Hermione had come in suggesting that he get rid of some excess magic after some research on such wizarding-phenomenas.  
  
So far, her plan was working for as they'd been dueling, the sparks had all but ceased shooting from his fingertips. While it put Harry's immediate concerns of arson to rest, it did nothing to calm his fears and worries about what was happening to him.  
  
The Dractnox creatures were worrying him to no end. As of late they'd been acting so strange that it frightened Harry to use them or speak to them, let alone watch them. They weren't behaving at all how they first had- that is, if gelatinous floating blobs even had certain standards of behavior. They were showing signs of purely human gestures and emotions as opposed to their seemingly normal indifference to what was going on around them. There were times when they were zipping around so fast it made Harry's stomach do somersaults, and other times when they were stationary for the entire day. They seemed to be showing worry, anxiety, and a general nervousness that put Harry's own nerves on end. From what Dumbeldore's ancient book of the creatures had told him, they weren't at all supposed to be creatures of any human worry or discretions, let alone behavior characteristics.  
  
Moreover, Harry's magic was growing at such an alarming rate that he was having power-overloads, and that didn't just affect him, but put those in his immediate proximity at chance as well. It seemed no one was quite safe from him and there was no warning he could give if something was about to happen. Still, Hermione and Ron stuck by him and tried to help him work through the problem.  
  
"Here, Harry, vaporize this one," Ron shouted as he magicked a large stump into the air. Harry took his aim at it and threw spell after spell at the tree-stump until there was nothing left but the sheer memory. Little to say, they were finding great ways to get rid of an excess of magic in little to no time.  
  
"I'm getting a bit tired," Harry panted as Ron had another stump flying through the air. Harry tossed a few more spells and reduced it to splinters as he sat down on the grass next to Hermione.  
  
"That should be fine for today, if not put you back into working order," Hermione told him as Ron sat next to them.  
  
"Yeah, and if you start sparking up again, Fred and George will always have a job ready for you," Ron told him, grinning.  
  
"They've been calling me 'sparky' all day, and I know they're your brothers, Ron, but if they try to light one more firework off me I think I'll just explode right in their faces."  
  
Ron laughed and grimaced as they saw a familiar face headed their way. "Speaking of things blowing up..."  
  
"Hey Harry," Seamus called as he neared them. He stopped before them, looking a bit anxious. "Snape's been looking for you."  
  
"Great, one problem solved, and here another comes. It just isn't your day, is it, mate?" Ron said contritely.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I don't know, but he didn't look happy."  
  
"Since when does that man look happy?" Ron asked exasperatedly.  
  
Seamus shrugged. "I dunno, but word is that we'll not be seeing you after today. Lee Jordan is taking bets on how quickly Snape curses you into oblivion."  
  
"What?! Why?" Hermione asked with irritation.  
  
"He was really mad, you should've seen him. I heard from Lavender Brown that he came up to Gryffindor Tower yelling all sorts of curses and taking points off people left and right for not finding you."  
  
"I believe the point-taking part, but cursing people?" Ron asked. "I mean, I know it's Snape, but..."  
  
"Well, that's if you believe the type of gossip Lavender spreads around," Hermione said lightly. "That girl is the biggest gossip-monger I know."  
  
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't have believed it myself but I heard Ramona Ariati from Ravenclaw telling Alicia Spinnet that she saw it all!" Seamus declared, more interested in bantering with Hermione over the gossip than warning Harry to assume an alias and go on the run.  
  
"But -why- was Snape so mad?" Harry asked exasperatedly. His question went unanswered as Hermione drowned him out to argue with Seamus.  
  
"Ramona is friends with Padma Patil, Seamus," she said quite concisely.  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"Parvati and Lavender share the same room, remember?" For some reason unknown to her, Seamus flushed, and it made Ron smirk. Oh, he knew all about Seamus' little crush...  
  
"We know," Ron said, wanting Hermione to hurry up and make her point.  
  
"Well Parvati and Padma are sisters and -through- Lavender's gossip, Lavender being roomies with Parvati, she told Ramona who told Alicia who you think is your prime source of information. Get your facts straight," Hermione said bluntly. "It's highly unlikely that all that's true."  
  
"Can anyone tell me how this matters at ALL as to WHY Snape is so mad at me?!" Harry asked with aggravation. He already had enough to worry about without the dour potions master being pissed at him for no reason. Well...at least no -new- reason...  
  
"I suggest you go into hiding for awhile," Seamus told him. "-I- wouldn't want to be the focus of Snape's wrath. Not this time, anyways."  
  
"Ugh...Better go face the music," Harry said, rising from the grass and brushing himself off.  
  
"Are you so sure about that?" Hermione inquired with concern.  
  
"I thought you said that the gossip wasn't true?" Ron challenged. "Nothing to worry about?"  
  
"Would -you- want to find out the hard way?" Seamus asked him. Hermione grimaced at the thought. She knew Harry was on some-what okay terms with Snape, as far as training him went, but the man was unpredictable and being a knowledge-hound, Hermione didn't like the unknown.  
  
"Just watch yourself, mate," Ron told him.  
  
"I'll go with you," Hemione volunteered. Afterall, misery loves company.  
  
"No, you stay here with Ron. I'll go see what's up, and if you don't see me tomorrow, send out a search party," he joked.  
  
"We most certainly will," Seamus replied seriously.  
  
Harry bit his lower lip in consternation and padded across the grass to the castle, hoping that Lavender's love to gossip had the facts terribly wrong, like usual.  
  
-------  
  
Okais, if you read it, review it. And to those who hung in there so long....  
  
FlyingPixie: You think -that- took a long time...heh heh heh...Yeah, stupid rabbit. She's crazy like that murderous one from the movie The Holy Grail. Now -that's- entertainment!  
  
Destiny's Dragon: Hope you didn't wait too long:) Thanx!  
  
FlamingIceMuggle: Love the name! Awesome! I hoped people would pick up on the darn rabbit from the beginning. Good to know ya did:)  
  
PaddycakePadfoot: Thanx a bunch and I'm so glad you're still enjoying this. And yes, it is rubbish, but I like doing it, so whatevers:D I'm pleased that you like the plot (Hm, I wonder what that is?) even though, in my sister's words, I don't know jack about plots:D heh heh...Glad you liked the rabbit thingy, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing:) Thankies so much!  
  
divinething: Don't worry, I wouldn't abandon the story, It may take me forever, but I do get things done. I'm not a quitter:D Yeah, it's all so neat, the latin stuff and whatnot. I don't visit many (if any) harry potter sites, so I was sort of proud that I drew the parallels on my own:D I'm a dork that way, hence my ramblings:) I was so utterly utterly mad at freakin' Belletrix Lestrange in OotP. I refuse to accept the fact. Sirius reigns supreme!! Anywho, thanks for the review and for hangin' in there:)  
  
missjackiesparrow: Thankies so very much, and hope you've gotten that fic-age problem fixed out:) They -are- the best damn movies/books out there!!  
  
Lady-of-the-Dragon-Flame: Heh heh, you went through so much for my fic! Thank you! I must say I found your review quite amusing, and I'll let ya in on a little secret, I too love it when things go wrong for the characters. I guess we are just horrid:) heh heh he...anyways, thanks and hope to hear from ya again!  
  
S.S.I.: Well, hell, thanks for reading it through once more (you were able to without falling asleep? Your butt must be tired:) Anywho, I'm not sure if this is sooner than last time, but hey, here's an update for ya, eh? heh heh...It's nice to see a dedicated reader:D Love ya and thanx for the kind words! Kiminess: Thanx a lot, and hopefully we'll see more action soon:) No, I don't write slash. I've only done slash once, but I can see why you think that. Reading over my stuff I found that it did seem to have a kind of slashy Draco/Harry vibe even though that's not what I'm going for. But whatever, it works. Yeah, I understand what you mean about it losing its shimmer and shine. This is what happens when you go for long epriods without updating and then update out of guilt, not out of plot necessity (in other words, useless filler-chapters). Little to say, my fics have both suffered from that, but I've identified the problem so hopefully it won't happen again:D Yeah, I realized that 'Fawkes' misspelling quite awhile ago, but those chaps are far enough back that I just don't bother. It's cause I took two years of latin, and Faux in latin means 'torch', and I thought it was clever that JKR gave the Phoenix such an insightful name. Little to say, don't write past midnight when you think you know everything:D anywho, thanx for the review and hope to hear from ya again.  
  
Klare: Thank you so much! You're actually the one everyone should be thanking, as since I got your review a few days ago I decided it was high time that I update:D So thank you, and hope to hear from ya again! 


	26. Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Well hey, here we are with a half-way decent update! Whadda ya know? Okay, well, here we are. God bless weekends and breaks!

Chapter 26: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

------

"Severus, I want you to warn our young Mr. Potter not to leave the safety of his common room until I return. Voldemort is getting desperate and will soon tolerate waiting no longer. Don't let him use the boy."

"Of course. And what of the Omnivieve Glass?"

"It's glowing mightily. No doubt He's searching for it this very moment himself. But it will be safe here, for now. As for Harry, He will be trying to use him through those Dractnox creatures to find its location and the information he seeks."

"He is using the boy already?"

"When I was in his mind and saw Belletrix, I felt something that shouldn't have been there..."

"The Dark Lord?"

"I'm not positive, but I don't like it. It was fleeting, and then it was gone. I think our Mr. Riddle is hiding in there. Would you mind fixing up a potion to hinder him?"

"Certainly. What about Lestrange?"

"Hagrid has taken the liberty to fill her tunnel with Blinkerbugs and juvenile Blast-ended Skrewts, to name a few nasty creatures. I don't think she'll wander through it too soon. But now I must be off. There are some favors I have to call in and organization of our forces that needs to take place. And do tell our Mr. Potter to take heed."

Severus knew that Dumbledore must be concerned and very worried, to mention it so many times. He nodded to the ancient wizard, who gave a twinkling smile before disappearing through the floo network to the Ministry of Magic.

Snape cursed under his breath. The wretched boy always had to make it so easy for Him to use him. And this time Harry was stronger magically and mentally, and he could converse with creatures that haven't been used in centuries. If the Dark Lord got His chance...

He shuddered to think of it, and if He found out that Snape was a traitor in his circle...

He cursed once more as he went in search for Potter, going to the loathed Gryffindor Common Room even and having to deal with troublesome twits and idiot children in his search. Frustration and realization hitting him simultaneously, he coldly took off points here and there from whoever was in his path as he made his way to the dungeons. There was much preparation to be done and even more ordeals to plan for.

---

Harry knocked on the door to the dungeons, hoping that the brooding potions master wasn't inside. He didn't know what Snape wanted, but he surely didn't want to be in his path if he was cross, either. Better yet, he hoped the man wasn't inside because all the sane students kept their respectable distances from the dungeons and the dour man residing within them, providing for no witnesses if he up and killed him.

But of course, the chances that Snape would be anywhere else in the castle were slim, and even slimmer were the chances that it was all some misunderstanding. Either way, he knew that whatever it was, he didn't do it.

He knocked once more on the door, louder this time in hopes that the man really wasn't there. Sadly, people's expectations always exceed reality's standards, so it was no surprise that Snape was waiting inside his lair.

"Enter," came a muffled reply through the door.

Abandon all hope ye who enter here, Harry thought dismally upon turning the doorknob. Such a nice day to be wasted for yet another of interrogations and glares.

"I heard you sent for me?" Harry asked as he came into the room. Snape was brewing several potions and looked mighty agitated- even for him.

"It's about time, Potter. You'd think your fanclub would have found you sooner," he replied icily as he worked over a cauldron.

Harry chose to ignore the remark. At least Snape didn't take off any points.

"And five points from Gryffindor."

"Uh-! What for?!" Harry spat. Not even ten seconds with the man and already it had cost his house five points.

"For trying my patience," Snape spat back. "Take a seat, Potter."

Harry frowned but took a seat at one of the tables. He didn't bother asking Snape if and why he was in trouble. You didn't have to do something to be in trouble when it came to Snape and Gryffindors.

"Sir?" Harry started, getting bored and a little agitated at just sitting. Snape could at least insult him or yell at him or something normally Snape-like. Ignoring him was an altogether different matter, especially when it was Snape who'd been searching for -him-, and not the other way around. He should at least be grateful that Harry showed up.

But of course, that wasn't the case with -this- professor.

"Sir?" he tried again after getting no response. "Was there some reason you-"

"Silence, Potter! Unless you want to blow all of Hogwarts to the moon!" Snape hissed as he carefully measured green viscous liquid from a small vial.

Harry hmph-ed in agitation as he waited patiently, entertaining himself by counting the number of sedentary Dractnoxes the room contained.

1...2...3...4...

"Potter."

5...6...7...oh, there's another, 8...

"Potter."

9...well, that's half of one, so that's 10...

"Potter would you pay attention!" Snape snapped, driving Harry from his reverie and back to the cold dungeons that was reality.

"Sorry," Harry said perfunctorily, looking up to see a very cross and very aggravated Head of Slytherin House staring him down.

"Does nothing get through that idiot brain of yours?!"

"Was there something you wanted, _sir_?" Harry ground his teeth on the last word, trying to control his own irritation. He didn't want to be here anymore than Snape probably wanted him there.

"Tell me, Potter, do you purposely empty that head of yours on entry to my classroom or is that vacant expression one you normally wear?" Snape asked, just looking for a reason to take off house points. He was in no mood to deal with Harry today, and the circumstances of this meeting were far from affable.

Harry glared right back at him, hands balling and unballing into fists from the aggravation Snape caused him. And as if the meeting couldn't get any worse, his fingers started sparking again.

"May I be excused?" he asked with difficulty, the annoyance still in his voice as he tried to keep his hands hidden beneath the desk.

"No, you may not," Snape said, crossing his arms as was his usual way as he silently glared at the boy. There was silence as they glared at one another, the only sounds coming from the boiling of the cauldrons. Harry wondered if he was just to wait until Snape reached the breaking point and cursed him like Lavender said he'd been doing...

Harry became more and more tense as his fingers sparked more and more frequently. He was afraid he'd catch something on fire, and Hermione wasn't here to fire-proof the room. But then again, Snape probably had that covered, what with Neville's daily explosions and all.

"Potter, what contact have you had with the Dark Lord's belongings this year?" he asked suddenly in no more than his cold way.

"Me?" Harry was a bit taken aback at the question and change of mood. That, and his fingertip fireworks were becoming a distraction.

"No, Potter, I meant Weasley. That's why I asked if _you_ have had any contact with His belongings," Snape replied sarcastically.

Harry glowered at the man before him. "No, _I_ haven't," he said with every bit of sarcasm as Snape had used.

Snape leaned forward in intimidation, watching Harry with a glare. "I assure you that if you're lying to me, I will find out, as I'm sure will you. Your life could be in jeopardy this moment and you wouldn't even recognize it."

"What?!" Harry burst out, jumping up in his seat, perplexed and worried and perturbed by Snape's words. Although he knew it was just to try and get him to admit to messing with things he shouldn't be, it worried Harry. Especially with everything that's been going on in his life lately. He didn't need this stress.

"Potter, what is that?" Snape inquired imperiously, seeing a faint glowing coming from Harry's sides.

"Nothing," he said nonchalantly, shoving his hands into his pockets. He didn't care if his pants subsequently caught fire or not. He wouldn't give in and let Snape have his way.

"What do you have, boy?" Snape asked inimically, looking towards Harry's hidden hands. If the man had learned anything from being a double agent for years, it was that he could tell when people were lying, and read them as plain as any book. It was obvious that Harry was hiding something, and rather imperative that he know it wasn't something dangerous.

"I don't -have- anything!" Harry spat as his fear consequently grew larger of being the proverbial 'liar, liar, pants on fire'. "Can I go are is there something you wanted?" he asked with exasperation as he was sure any second he'd go up in flames.

"Potter, whatever you're-"

At that moment, black smoke started billowing from Harry's robes and pockets as his fingertips were smoldering the fabric of his pants. Thus, it was no surprise that after the initial indicator of a fire, flames started licking at the fabric as Harry removed his sparking hands from his pockets with surprise. He would have been terribly burnt, too, if Snape hadn't acted quickly.

"_Aquaficio aegis!_"

In moments Harry had gone from heated burning to icy wetness. The shocking change wasn't happily accepted as he was now sopping wet, but it was received in gratuity as opposed to being a flaming human torch.

But for all Snape's fire-extinguishing abilities, Harry's fingers still tried to spark back up. Now all he had to worry about was shocking himself to death.

"Potter, what is the meaning of this?" Snape asked angrily, as if Harry had purposely planned this and his present condition (sopping wet with scorch marks) was currently ruining _Snape's _day.

Harry merely frowned from beneath wet glasses. "I don't know. My fingers have been sparking off."

"For how long?" the dour potions master asked. If he looked threatening _before_ Harry had caught fire, it was nothing compared to what he looked now.

"Since yesterday."

"And tell me now, Potter, before you ignite the whole castle, what contact have you had with the Dark Lord's possessions?!" Snape looked severely bothered as he glared at Harry and Harry's sparking fingertips. He knew something like this was going to happen, he just didn't count on it coinciding with today of all days. Things were happening too fast and not in their favor, and if Harry was withholding anything, it would spell disaster for all.

"I told you I haven't! I haven't touched anything belonging to Him or anything else like that!!" Harry spat, sparks flying from his fingers.

Snape made a noise between a growl and a sigh of frustration as he swooped over to his desk and poured the concoction from one of the cauldrons into a shallow bowl. He muttered a spell over the steaming liquid and determined it was ready. "Come here, Potter," he commanded icily.

Rather than not, Harry moved sullenly to Snape's desk, his shoes making a squish-squish noise as he walked, leaving wet footprints on the stone floor. He frowned right back at the potions master, looking so vexed it wasn't even funny.

"Potter, how long did you handle the Omnivieve Glass when it was in your possession?"

"The- I don't know..." Harry thought for a moment ignoring Snape's glare and the cold he was feeling in his wet clothes. That metal rod thing he'd given to Dumbledore? And then there was the crystalline part of the Omnivieve glass itself...but he'd never even physically seen that. "I guess about five, maybe ten minutes all together...I don't know, something like that," he said to Snape's glare. "I haven't thought of it since then. What's it matter?"

"You foolish, idiot boy!" Snape spat as he quickly made some adjustments to the one of the potions on the boil. "Three minutes is sufficient to make a connection with that glass!" He added something that looked like crumpled leaves to the cauldron. "Just through that silver part alone! Not to mention you already have a connection to the Dark Lord through that-" he pointed accusingly at Harry's scar.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Harry asked, ignoring his chances of self-electrocution and his present uncomfortable state. His connection to Voldemort? And the glass? The same one that was in His possession?

A simple thought passed through his mind: _Oh crap_.

"You, idiot boy, have been contaminated by your connection to that glass and to Him!" Snape said as he added a ladle full of a boiling potion to the cooled one in the shallow bowl. "Your magic has been contaminated as well as your control if He's gotten to you without your knowledge!"

"Are you saying Voldemort's inside my head?! Messing with things?!" Harry spat rapidly, panicked. He didn't want that snake in his head, let alone have even -more- of a connection to him.

"That glass wasn't meant to pass through many hands, boy, and those of us who have touched it already have a base connection, but yours is to the source itself! Wash your hands in this, Potter." Snape motioned to the cooling concoction on his desk as poor Harry looked like he'd blow a gasket any minute.

"Are you saying He's in my head?! Now?!"

"Do as I say, Potter, before you burn Hogwarts to the ground!" Snape said coldly, agitated with Harry beyond belief and more than worried about the present state of affairs. How could he willingly handle the Omnivieve Glass without knowing repercussions of these types were always obscure? And he already had a connection to the Dark Lord, and now it was intensified through the call of the glass, that powerful weapon against all touched by evil, Harry and himself included. And if He was already working through Harry's mind, then He would have a chance to take over the boy's body and control the creatures Harry was seeing. And if knowledge was power, then Voldemort would be the equivalent of a living god.

Harry reluctantly put his hands into the mixture, coating them in the thick substance as he felt a tingling starting at his fingertips and working up his arms, neck, and to the tips of his head before traveling the rest of his body. It felt strange but nice, actually, as he allowed his hands to sit in the substance. But that in itself made him wary. Since when did anything nice come from Severus Snape?

"What is this stuff, sir?" Harry asked, feeling a lot more calm, and hell, pretty damn good, than previously. He supposed it was the potion's doing.

Snape watched him and the substance clinging to his hands, slowly disappearing as it permeated his skin. He was worried for one thing- he'd had to use Pure Light in this concoction, and as unstable and as powerful as it was, it was the only thing capable of building a powerful enough block against the Dark Lord, as well as get rid of those wretched sparks. But even in its most diluted form, it was a tricky substance to use, and he watched Harry carefully, deciding that it was brewed properly as the boy didn't disappear before his eyes.

"Sir?"

"It's a reactant to fix your meddlesome problems, idiot boy," Snape snapped. "That sparking is a sign that your magic has been tampered with by another wizard and has been cross-contaminated with another's magic at that, a by-product of non-compatible magics and temperaments." Snape didn't need to mention -who- that other was. It wasn't hard for Harry to guess. "It would be favorable for you if it didn't happen again, but it only works as a corrective block to stop anymore of His interference. He can go no further, but I can assure you that whatever is occupying that empty head of yours doesn't want to leave, now or ever, and it will only try to become stronger, even with my potions."

"How do you know all this? What's happening to me?" Harry asked, now none-too-eager to remove his hands from the viscous substance. If that was what was keeping him safe, then he'd keep the damn stuff on his hands day and night.

"As Dumbledore is currently away from the school on business, I suppose it is my duty to inform you as your trainer that nothing short of death or destroying that glass will separate you from the Dark Lord's influence, now or ever. The bond you share goes beyond ancient magic, and now it's only stronger. You're got yourself into an ancient mess here, Potter. And he is persistent at that, searching through agents right now, here at the castle, for the remaining piece of that glass. And should he get it, Potter, then we're all in very real danger, you above all."

Harry visibly paled. How could things possibly get any worse?!

"And right now, Potter, He is looking for you and that piece He knows you've had contact with. You are the key to his success."

-------

Well, if ya read it, please review it!

Lady-of-the-Dragon-Flame: Well, I guess we're both isane then:D Heh heh, lovely review:D Most entertaining.

gallandro-83: Alrighty then, thank you.

S.S.I.: Heh, yeah, I'm quite a dunce to be writing so many fics at once. But at least I can satisfy those artistic urges and get it down in writing:D But thanx so much, and I'll tell ya now, this was crazy-fast as opposed to the last times I've updated:D But anyways, thanx so much for your support and reviews!! I always look forward to them (for whatever fic) and it's a delight to know you're enjoying them all:) Thankies!

mrs-osbourne's-class: Well, I'm pretty sure this is sooner than last update:) I've been a real dork lately, but and all:) But thanx so much and here's to wicked ideas!

divinething: Yeah, that bloody parasite...we should look for a way to destroy it:D Harry's getting stronger through everything, so the power-overloaded sparkler fingers and everything else messin' with him, well, he's kinda like a computer overloaded with spam and pop-ups and some of those damn things are virus loaded. :D heh heh...Thankies for the great review!


	27. Potions and Power

I'm slow as always, but here we are!!!

Chapter 27: Potions and Power

-------

After speaking with Snape and being interviewed about the Dractnoxes behavior, Harry had gathered two things: One, he was in it deep, and Two, Voldemort was very desperate and over-eager, especially to be messing with Harry's mind without his usual stealth. He'd had a general idea before that something was amiss, but after the series of questions he'd answered, the future looked rather grim.

"Have you had any other violent visions? Other than those which you've told me?" Snape asked very seriously.

"No, not lately."

"Any other magical-misfires, Potter?" he asked almost rhetorically in relation to Harry's finger-sparks.

"No."

"And those creatures you see, what of them? Have you conversed with them recently?" he asked bitterly.

"I...I didn't need to so I haven't," he replied. Well, it wasn't a lie. He was just a little scared to use them is all.

"And why is that?"

"Uh- because I didn't need to?" he repeated. Duh. Only Snape would ask that twice.

"Don't play dumb with me, Potter, as natural it may come to you," Snape told him icily, stopping his pacing and staring Harry dead-on. "Any boy with that kind of knowledge in their possession would use it in any way possible to their advantage and so I ask you again, why haven't you used them?"

Harry was silent a moment and decided that the bloody git wouldn't accept any evasive answers he gave. What was the point in being evasive now, anyway? His life, and that of his mates, were on the line. "I don't want another repeat of the hospital wing incident. Especially when they're acting so weird."

"Weird? How 'weird'?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow pensively.

"They either zip-about faster than racing brooms or don't move at all for days at a time, and they keep giving me weird looks, so why bother with them?"

Snape made an aggravated noise and wondered how in the world the idiot boy in front of him had ever become even close to destroying the Dark Lord. "You, Potter, might have just proven that there's an even bigger idiot boy in this world than Longbottom. Why haven't you reported this sooner?!" Harry shrugged. He didn't know, and he wasn't going to try any half-guesses. "For all that we know, He's in there and has some sort of power over you, also admitting Him control over those bloody creatures as you have!! Did this never occur to you, boy?!"

"Well, I did think it odd..."

Snape growled and went to his desk. "This is a larger problem than we anticipated...those bloody things..."

It all made sense now, why Lestrange was lurking around Hogwarts, the mind-attack on the Slytherins, Harry's violent visions...Voldemort _was_ in Potter's head and _was_ exerting some kind of control on the boy, and he undoubtedly had some sort of power over the Dractnox creatures through their shared bond, no doubt about it. He was looking specifically at Hogwarts for the other piece of the Omnivieve Glass; not in the protected Gringotts' vaults, not in highly secured caves guarded by known wizard-killing beasts in the unreachable mountains, nor in any other high-security place that one would hide such a weapon. He was looking -here- and He _knew_ it was here. He just didn't know _where_ it was being kept. That he had yet to find out.

"Drink this, Potter, and soak your hands in this once more," Snape instructed as he poured more of the permeable liquid into the hand-basin and gave Harry a violet-colored vial.

"Excuse me, sir, but what does this do?" he asked, holding the vial questionably. He wasn't about to happily imbibe whatever Snape gave him in the mood he was in. Most students would rather eat a blast-ended skrewt pie.

"The contents of that vial will protect you should He attempt another mind-invasion. And letting your hands soak up all of that shielding potion will hopefully force Him out as opposed to creating a block." Snape mixed up a few things and quickly wrote an urgent letter to Dumbledore. This couldn't wait for the man's return. "You'll have to have one of those vials every twelve hours when the effects start to diminish, and you're to stay in your common room until further notice."

Harry quickly downed the nasty stuff and put the vial on Snape's desk, swearing he'd cut out his own tongue before tasting _that_ interesting flavor again. He put his hands into the wonderfully-calming liquid after wiping his tongue with the inside of his robes. "What about eating in the Great Hall? And my classes?" he asked, still tasting the nasty treat.

"A house-elf will bring you your daily meals. As for your classes, you're to remain in the safety of your dormitory until the Headmaster returns," he said affirmatively, expecting his commands to be duly noted and followed for the boy's own safety. "And don't look so smug, Potter. You'll still be doing the work and assignments for all of your classes daily, starting with that paper on the properties of mooncalf saliva due in two days."

Harry shrugged. He knew it'd been too good to be true. But at least he didn't have to be bored in his classes...Now he could concentrate on all the fun ways he was most likely to die this term...

"Is there anything else I can do to get rid of Him?"

"Have our training sessions taught you nothing, Potter?!" He was agitated, aggravated, and above all, very anxious. How was this boy supposed to keep himself safe and alive if he didn't even utilize the skills he had?!

"Oh...right...the occlumency and stuff..."

Snape inwardly sighed and put forefinger to the bridge of his nose in irritation. For the first time, Harry noticed, he looked really tired. Just a tired and life-weary man standing before him in one of the rare moments when Snape actually seemed human.

"Potter, ask the Dractnox where the Dark Lord resides..."

"Wha-...Alright." Harry conceded as he looked at the globby, floating forms in the room and focused on one that came to attention. _Where is Voldemort hiding?_

Snape watched for a moment, studying Harry and confirming his suspicions as a minute spark jumped from Harry's fingertip. The contamination was there, and fighting it would be hard.

"Well?"

"They won't tell me," Harry informed, thoroughly upset by this in some way deep down. Snape just watched him silently as he tried to think up an explanation. "They just keep looking at me...I-I feel weird..."

"Ask them the main usage for jellied-spines, Potter."

He paused a moment and looked back to Snape. "For killing Levibison. What are Levibison?"

"Something you would know nothing about..." Snape replied wearily. This was not good in any sense of the word. He could still get general knowledge, but there were specific blocks put on him. No, not good at all. "How do you feel?"

"Fine."

"You've been blocked, Potter. He already has that much control over those creatures through your mind, and won't have you meddling with Him," he said, thoroughly troubled. Why hadn't the Death Eaters been called forth to learn this? What plans were being made that he wasn't aware of?

"Why didn't you have me ask them before? I mean, I've thought about finding his hiding place, but never actually dared--"

"The mental link and bond you share would have alerted Him of our tracing and we didn't want anything getting back through that connection, let alone your new...abilities...but He's already exerting his power and influence over you. Be wary, Potter. There's more here at stack than just _your_ life."

"Sir...?" Harry was worried. Far more worried than he'd ever been. So Voldemort knew that he controlled Dractnoxes...Did that mean He could personally question them, or did He have to use Harry? Did He know that Ron and Hermione were in the loop? And what about Draco? How many people were in danger here?! His head was swimming with questions.

"Take this, Potter," Snape commanded as he handed Harry another vial, this time pink. He answered Harry's query before he asked. "An advanced dreamless-sleep potion. You'll sleep like the dead, and no manner of thought can be leeched from you this night."

"Thank you," Harry said, grateful for this small consolation to keep Voldemort from his thoughts for at least one night. He downed the potion and left the bottle on the desk, grateful it didn't taste like bubotuber pus.

"Back to your commons and do not leave there until a teacher fetches you. Understand, Potter?" he said with icy command, daring Harry to even think about sneaking about tonight.

"Yes, sir.

---

"When can you leave?"

"Madam Pomfrey says I can go tomorrow. Too bloody long if you ask me..." Draco replied to Harry's question. A quick detour to the hospital wing on the way to Gryffindor Tower found Harry visiting with Draco, who was in a splendid mood for a visit, even if he tried to hide it.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Draco snorted. "As if anything that bloody Weasley can do could hurt me."

Harry smirked. "Ron didn't mean it..."

"What's going on out there in the real world?" Draco asked in a most bored tone that didn't fool Harry for a minute.

"Big things are happening, and none are good." He lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. "Voldemort knows that the silver of the Omnivieve Glass is here."

"But--! But how? He wouldn't come here, would He?!" Draco began to sweat, frightened that the Dark Lord knew he'd betrayed Him.

"He knows because I touched it and because of this, of course," Harry said, motioning to his scar. "Snape's worried, and so I am."

"Well of course _he_ bloody is!! But He wouldn't come here what with Dumbledore, would he?!"

"Dumbledore isn't here, but Snape sent him an owl..."

"Well that's bloody helpful..."

Harry thought for a moment, determination setting in. "Okay, what do we know so far? How could we destroy that last piece? Mess up his plans a bit..."

"Ha, it can't be destroyed. Not on our end of the deal, and not on His. The silver part is indestructible and that bloody crystal repels any magic you use on it ."

"Are you sur-"

"I used it for target practice before I knew what it was..."

"Oh." Harry yawned and noticed a single envelope on Draco's bedstand. "Who's this from?"

"Father."

"What about?"

"The usual complaints, promises to take me away from this bloody institution...You know, his warm regards."

Harry cracked a smile. "Is that an actual joke?"

"Don't look so surprised," he said with a smirk. He sure was enjoying having someone to finally have an actual conversation with. Crabbe and Goyle only achieved so much.

Harry yawned once more and remembered the advanced potions in his system, getting to his feet.

"Where're you going?"

"I'm going to pass out if I don't get to bed." Draco arched an eyebrow at him. "Snape. I've got more potions in me than I should, and I think this one's taking effect."

"Sleeping potions, Potter?"

"To stop my mind from thinking...Ugh...I'm gonna go and catch up on some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure. Whatever," Draco said nonchalantly as if he couldn't care less. Harry smirked and ran out the hospital wing, successfully evading Madam Pomfrey, and rushed to his common room in the chill breeze that filled the darkened corridors. He knew he had but moments to get to his bed before he full-on passed out, but it seemed the faster he ran, the quicker the potions worked through his system.

He could feel his heart-rate slowing even with the running, his breathing deepen, his vision blur. And he was only precious feet from the portrait hole when a shadow fell over him, a blur of fair hair and whispered words as he felt the spell penetrating his back.

He was unconscious and asleep before his body hit the hard ground.

-------

Dun-dun-dun!! Well, at least I didn't take more than two months to get this up:D Okais, review and whatnot please:D We're bringin' this baby to a close. I'm thinking about two or three more chaps...I haven't quite figured it out yuet, but the point it It will be done!! :)

And to some of the most lovely readers ever....

corinnetkn24: Sorry for the wait! But here we go!!

S.S.I.: Thanx a bunch, and I honestly have no clue what that 'highly recommend' button does. I guess it's one of their top-secret...um, secrets:) But thanx a bunch! As always, awesome feedback:D

kameeko: Well thanx a lot, and hope this wasn't too long a wait:)

divinething: You've definitely got one thing right: when Dumbledore is gone bad, _bad_ things happen (ooo...what will happen next?) :) Heh heh...yeah, I update slow, but it's the holidays until February for me so hopefully I'll get this sucker done by then:D

Lady FoxFire: Blast-ended skrewts are meaner;) I think a snake is too humane a way to deal with her:D

Kallan Myers: Thanx a load!

FlyingPixie: YEah, there's so much bloody jokes around my house with those 'sparking fingers'. Especially after the third movie came out...we just won't get into it;) Yeah, me and my multiple fics...and college...and housework...and bills...and job-finding...bugger it all! I better get my ass moving!!


	28. In The Enemy's Keep

Even though I'm hella slow, I already have a basic outline of the end, so I'll have that sucker up within the end of the week, hopefully:) Here's to the end:pops open a bottle of champagne and kicks it with Snape:

Chapter 28: In the Enemy's Keep

-

Thrown unceremoniously onto the floor, Harry groaned in pain. His head was killing him, passing from consciousness to unconsciousness several times over with only bits and pieces of images that confused and alarmed him until blackness engulfed him once more. When he finally awoke into a conscious awareness all he saw and felt was pitch blackness and cold, moist stone; he didn't know where he was, and all he could remember was being hit with a spell in the back.

This was not good, and the throbbing in his head coupled with the churning ball of dread in his stomach made him sick. Where was he? How much time had passed? Was it day yet? Or was it still night?

He checked himself for his wand to find it missing, and squinted into the darkness trying to make out anything that might give him clues as to where he was. That was soon discredited to be pointless. He got to his feet on wobbly legs and remembered all the potions Snape had pumped into him. With the sleeping potion he'd been given, he supposed he'd been out for quite a few hours, and knowing Snape, it wouldn't last longer than the requisite six hours he was used to, what with all his homework and Quidditch practice.

He knew he'd been taken somewhere within that time. As to where, he had no clue, and who had done it he couldn't recall either, but he sensed such maliciousness and spite about him that there was no doubt in his mind that Voldemort had something to do with it, and chances were that he was well within His keep.

Flailing his arms about, Harry came in contact with a cold stone wall and felt about it for a possible doorway and hopeful escape. This wasn't good at all. If he was in as dark a presence as he thought, Snape's potions wouldn't protect him for much longer, considering they even withstood the Dark Lord at all. It only made sense as to why he was dumped here without being immediately tortured or the like. The mind-blocks and mental-protections that the potions gave him were sure to be waning about now. He didn't have any more vials of that stuff that Snape wanted him to take every twelve hours, and he was sure that the stuff in his hands was long gone. He had, what, maybe five hours left? Six at the most? But that was depending on if he hadn't been trifled with while he was unconscious, but who knew what had been done to him?

Smirking in the darkness, Harry looked all about him, barely making out a glowing amber-eye halfway through a spot in the darkness high above him. A Dractnox! This could be his ticket out of here!

Dractnox! he mentally called, more overjoyed than ever to have one at his disposal. He wasn't sure if he'd caught its attention or not, as it was currently in a state of sedation, but that was probably just as good as naught. _Dractnox, where am I?_

he mentally called, more overjoyed than ever to have one at his disposal. He wasn't sure if he'd caught its attention or not, as it was currently in a state of sedation, but that was probably just as good as naught. 

"You arrre with the other..." he heard. Or thought he heard. They sounded so very strange now. So unlike the last time he'd spoken with them. Restrained, perhaps, unnatural unto themselves. This, too, was very bad, and indicated foul play.

What 'other'?

"The Darrrk one that ssspeaksss, too."

The Dark one that speaks? Like me? He thought for a moment. Hm, one that speaks like me, a parseltongue that converses with Dractnoxes. Duh.

"Voldemort," he said aloud. He had to get out of here, wherever _here_ was.

-Where- am I? No answer but the glowing amber eyes, the creature slowly moving through the wall.

"Dractnox, where!" He stopped mid-speech as a sudden heavy noise was made before him like that of stone against stone. He was temporarily blinded as a door lit with brilliant light cut through the darkness and illuminated his confines.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to quickly adjust them and perhaps launch an attack if the chance came. Looking through his fingers gave him a shock as he caught sight of fair hair and an all-too-familiar face looking at him with quiet scrutiny.

"_Draco_!" he said almost accusingly. He looked the other boy over trying to come to some logic that made sense, but found none. "_What's going on_?"

"It seems father wasn't making the usual complaints when he said he was coming to retrieve me from that bloody institution." He looked at Harry with abject hate. "You're a present for the Dark Lord, and now I'll have the honor of joining his ranks."

Harry moved towards him warily, trying to figure this out. "What did they do to you? What are you playing at!"

"Now, now, Draco, the pleasure of ridiculing this waste belongs to the Dark Lord alone," Lucius Malfoy said from behind his son. He stepped into the doorway blocking out most of the light, leering at Harry with a proud hand on his son's shoulder.

"You evil scum!" Harry yelled and glared right back, taking a lunge towards Lucius when his instincts told him to take a step back. It was a bold move; one that didn't go wasted on Malfoy sr. He took out his wand and muttered something under his breath as Harry was suddenly unable to move. However, he felt no pain, and credited that to the fact that Voldemort must've wanted him unharmed.

"Tsk, tsk, Potter, such bad manners. What would your mudblood mother have to say?" he asked smoothly. If he wasn't frozen in place, Harry would have killed him right there, wand or no wand. Yet all he could do was stand there and take it as his anger bubbled inside amid his confusion.

Lucius smirked with a last leer and took his leave. "Leave him that and return to the study. Get those idiots working on assembling that glass. And hurry. The Dark Lord won't accept failure, and neither will I."

He left then and Harry and Draco were alone. Taking up a plate given him, Draco left Harry his 'meal' inside the dark stone room. He looked behind him and back at Harry, still frozen in place for several more minutes.

"I'm sorry," Draco said quietly, full dread in his voice. "Father came last night..." He laughed hopelessly. "Turns out he honestly wasn't joking about coming...and I had to...they have the silver of the glass and the glass itself..." He lowered his eyes, the full hopelessness of the situation hitting him as Harry tried to move his mouth; to ask the questions that were driving him mad. "I don't know what He has planned, but something really bad is about to happen. To you." Harry twitched and he frowned sadly. "He took your wand...there's nothing I can do..."

Harry tried his hardest to move, speak; anything that would get his questions across. If he could blink in code, he would've done it.

Draco looked behind him into the corridor and turned back to Harry, his voice becoming more and more covert and wary. "I have no clue where we are, Potter, but He isn't happy because things are going too slow with you, and He's desperate, for some reason." Draco looked Harry straight in the face with a genuine look of worry. "They say he can't mess with your mind for a few more hours for some reason, but until then, Potter, you'd better figure something out, because something very bad is about to happen to you, and the rest of the wizarding world...I don't know how strong your belief in Dumbledore is, but I hope he finds this place..." Draco shook his head subconsciously, hopeless thoughts in his mind. "...I'll do what I can, but you'd better do whatever it is you do against the Dark Lord, Potter, or we're all screwed..." Draco whispered as he left the room, the door closing on the light and letting the all-consuming dark come in once more.

-

Harry figured it had been two hours since he'd last seen Draco, but then again, it was hard to tell when one was in pitch blackness. But as the door opened once again, Harry knew too much time had passed and his luck was running short. This time he was greeted by Malfoy senior and a very irate Bellatrix Lestrange, who immediately hit him with a painful spell that made his skin feel on fire.

"Now, now, Bella. The Dark Lord wants his body in excellent condition, and he won't look too kindly if you mar the thing more than necessary," Lucius told her with restraining hand on her arm.

"I suppose," she agreed reluctantly, taking the spell off Harry who was convulsing and writhing on the floor. Lucius petrified Harry's body and left the room with Bellatrix in tow, leaving the task of moving Harry's body to Draco. The boy went in with seeming disgust, but with wide-eyes he looked at Harry and bent low.

"This is it..." he whispered. "He's going to do it within the hour."

What 'it' was, Harry didn't know, and neither did Draco for that matter, as he wasn't yet privy to such information. As he felt himself being levitated and moved through many rooms with countless stone ceilings, high, low, and sometimes leaking, he began to hope and pray that something would happen, or someone would intervene. As he was taken to the main room- what he supposed was 'the laboratory'- he caught sight of many Death Eaters, sans masks, lining the room. A spark of hope entered him at this grave sight, and that was that, if Death eaters were being called forth for whatever was going to happen, Snape would be there, wouldn't he?

It was a small hope, the only one he had, but as he was brought closer to the center of the room and caught sight of a table with arm and leg bindings, the Omnivieve Glass close by, his hope grew to panic and panic to desperation.

Dumbledore, where are you?

-

Okay, rather short, yes, but I think the next chapter will be the end. With that said, we're finally bringing this to a close after my lazy ass has spent years writing it, it being the very first fanfiction I've ever written (and the only one so far I've freakin' finished:o). So now I'll give a bit of recognition and see you all next chap!

Lady Foxfire: I guess we found out, didn't we:)

S.S.I: Hee hee, honestly, this story IS a freakin' beast! It's taken the better half of almost two years (due to it being my very first, plus I was an amateur). But I promised I'd finish this thing and damn it all I am:D I have several other HP fics in mind, but I'd like to finish this one and then my PotC story first, and then I'll start those. Otherwise I'll be all over the place like a bad oil spill:) Thankx for your kind words! I always look forward to your reviews!

Flyingpixie: Thanx so much...only one more after this:)

divinething: And now we know what's going on (at least a bit more) don't we:D Yes, Voldie _can_ talk with the Dractnoxes since he's been sneaking around up here :taps head: And oh darn, that omnivieve glass...What -does- he have possibly planned! Heh heh, some answers and some riddles:) Glad you liked that line! I was hoping someone would:)

Bahzad: Guess we know, don't we?

omega-i: Thanx much! And now we come to a close...

Buijana: Well thank you so very much! I had thoroughly believed I'd lost my touch (I'm kinda lazy and a real idiot some time) but thanx! Never read your fanfic before, or heard about such things, but I guess great minds DO think alike:D Thankies much! If you'd like any pointers, I have a large friggin' guide I created about a year ago for fanfic help:)


	29. The Final Act

Okay, I know it's been forever…_I_ don't even remember what was going on last chap:P hahaha…Well, after reading HBP, well, this is the way _I'd_ rather have had everything turn out:P haha, okay, I know I've taken ages to finish this, but here we are:D Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed and kept me in line:P

Chapter 29: The Final Act

-----

Severus Snape bent forward instinctually as yet another burning pain throbbed in his forearm. He was being summoned, he knew, and he was suffering for not answering. He also knew from the early morning's search that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were nowhere within the castle, and without having to see it to know, he knew that the Dark Lord had both pieces of that bloody glass.

Now he was waiting. Waiting for Dumbledore to return and counting the intervals of pain that he experienced while waiting. He didn't like waiting, not one bit. But he couldn't act without word from Dumbledore. Should he stay or should he go? Should he attempt to apparate there and then try to figure out where he was? Was it even possible to get an owl to Dumbledore from wherever the Dark Lord's keep currently was?

He grasped his arm once more as the fire dug its claws into his skin. Too much time had passed already that he hadn't answered. Was it still wise to even go? What excuse could he make that would only land him one or two rounds with the Cruciatus curse?

"Damn it all!" he cursed, pacing furiously in his office.

"Severus?" McGonagall's voice floated through his open door. She was obviously looking for him.

"Here," he snapped coldly, agitation filling him.

She poked her head into his office and frowned at him. "What are you doing in here?"

"What does it look like?" He didn't say it sarcastically, although that's how he definitely meant it. He was in no mood for any of her pep-talks or anything else that would reap no progress in getting Dumbledore here sooner. He clenched his fist on his arm once more it burned again.

"Dumbledore has returned. Everyone is in his office, waiting."

"What the devil--!" He scowled deeply, glaring in his cold way while she smirked.

"They've only just arrived. I'm gathering everyone, but you get yourself up there and do it now," she directed him. He was already striding quickly past her, and as she exited the classroom soon after, she could see him not, and barely hear his retreating footsteps. With that she went about her stations and alerted the teachers of what was happening, directing the ones who would stay and protect the children as well as the ones who would be joining them.

---

"Severus, good of you to join us," Dumbledore remarked kindly as Snape strode into the Headmaster's office, hair askew and forearm burning worse than ever. His office was filled with aurors, some Snape was familiar with, others he was not. And they looked quite impatient. One could feel the tension in the room taut as a bowstring, and everyone was looking at Snape with expectance.

"Potter-"

"We know, my boy. Minerva has informed us of all that has happened. It seems that Tom Riddle has gotten a bit ahead of us in this game." Dumbledore regarded Snape's folded arms, noticing the way he held himself to press his arm against his Dark Mark hidden beneath his robes. He looked him in the eyes to answer the question that few even knew existed. "You do not need to go, my boy. We need you here."

Several aurors regarded him curiously, others with impatience. Snape knew that they probably did need him, and he also knew that Dumbledore was aware of the burning discomfort he was feeling. And it would only get worse as time went on.

"What we _need_ to do is find where he's hiding! Where's he's taken Potter!" an agitated auror said from the back. "We -must- take action!"

"And how are we gonna do that? Do _you_ know where the Dark Lord is hiding!" another equally-exacerbated auror responded to him. The tension was broke, and the room turned to tumult.

"We cannot just sit here!" someone yelled back as the room became loud with voiced opinions.

"If you know the way, do please inform us!" someone said sarcastically.

"No one knows where it is! We have to think!"

"You might as well guess!"

"There is a way..." Dumbledore began, his soft voice surprisingly cutting through the loud hubbub as the aurors gave him their full attention. "I believe young Mr. Potter was given several potions to safeguard him from Voldemort, was he not?" Several less-seasoned aurors shuddered at the mention of His name.

"Several, yes," Snape agreed, his mind working feverishly to see how this was an advantage, and how he might press it.

"And he has had much contact with a substance known as Pure Light, has he not, dear boy?" Dumbledore asked warmly, as if he'd just posed a question as to whether someone liked puppies or kittens better.

"Pure Light?" someone asked.

"Isn't that stuff dangerous--?" the same agitated-auror asked, looking at Snape accusingly.

"And highly unstable?" someone else posed to Dumbledore, who merely smiled in response.

"What _is_ Pure Light?" a young female auror asked her friend.

"Severus, care to enlighten us?" Dumbledore asked politely. Snape inwardly swore. How could it be that Dumbledore was so calm at this moment? It was so humanly wrong it wasn't even funny. They needed to act, and whatever he was getting at, Snape didn't like riddles, and he wanted answers.

"Pure Light is as you described- to the un-talented fool," Snape said harshly to the room, coldly as he would to the dunderheads he taught everyday. He tried to think of everything he knew about the substance while at the same time ignoring the burning in his arm that only proceeded to worsen. "It is the purest and the oldest of things in the world. The properties of the substance make it useful as an antidote to almost anything- in the right hands. And it is rare, near impossible to encase and utilize in these modern times. Even in the proper hands, it can cure and then destroy the participant in its powers."

"So he gave something to Potter that'll kill him?"

"He didn't kill Potter, idiot," an older auror with many scars told the same young female.

"What few know," Dumbledore began with the utmost patience, "is that takers of Pure Light leave a trail of residue behind as it works its way through their body, burning out the poisons." Several people intook hopeful breaths. Others were on the edge of their seat. Dumbledore was silent to let the information seep in.

"Can we follow it!" the impatient girl asked.

"No, we cannot," Dumbledore told her. Several people cursed, and Snape smirked. Obviously, these people didn't know Dumbledore _quite_ as well as he did. "There is one who can follow the trail, however, but enlisting the aid of this creature is not easy."

And then the murmurs began once more. It bothered Snape almost to tears. He wanted to answer the burning call on his arm. The Dark Lord was carrying on his plans right now, and no one was as painfully aware of that fact as Severus Snape was. The Omnivieve Glass, the boys, and the Fate of the wizarding world was being toyed with in His possession. The future would be decided tonight.

"Another fact that goes with the study of Pure Light is the process of containing it. The only way to keep the stuff in a form we can use is to encase it in one of nature's own creatures- a wood sprite," Dumbledore told them.

"Well let's go get one!"

"Ah, it's not that easy. You see, you must enlist the help of the sprite it is encased in." The room was silent as the grave; no one breathed. "Our sprite has been dead for hundreds of years."

Loud swearing and lamenting was heard, and Dumbledore gave Snape a wink and a smile, acknowledging that his skills were vital to the success of this- and they only had an hour, maybe two before Harry's mind was able to be penetrated by Voldemort and he would wreak whatever havoc he was planning.

"The sprite has a natural desire to follow trails of the Pure Light that was once part of it's body- and only _it's_ body- so it can lead us to the Dark Lord's hiding place post haste." Dumbledore gave a look of expectance that the crowd was satisfied. They were, of course, not.

"This thing is dead! You can't bring things back from death!"

"Pure Light can cure _anything_-" Dumbledore said smugly, and with a look at Snape, "in the proper hands."

"Impossible!"

"We should send out a search- Contact embassies and have them keep a look-out of anything suspicious in the past six hours!"

"The government isn't going to cooperate with us, fool! Look how many dark wizards they've released that line the pockets of their coats!"

"We should act now!"

Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the room fell silent. "You have one hour, my boy. I'm sure any of these competent wizards and witches would be most overjoyed to assist you with the gathering of ingredients you might need."

Snape inwardly groaned. Several aurors actually did groan.

"Once that sprite is alive and breathing, we'll have to follow it immediately, as they are quite fast and once you lose them, we've lost the trail." Several people rose from their seats, ready to help however they could while others went with news to inform their awaiting masses of what actions to take. "I hope several of you played seeker during your Quidditch years." There came nervous laughs at that, and Snape begrudgingly accepted the aid of three with impressive potions backgrounds, setting about making an unheard-of antidote to death.

---

"Don't lose sight of it!"

"It went through those trees!"

"AHHH!"

The rain was pouring heavily, the dark clouds obscuring what available light they had, the rain making it even harder to see in the artificial night. The sprite zoomed this way and that, and already they'd been flying for going on half an hour thanks to the tracing magic of the sprite. They'd been warned that the trail would be a difficult one, zig-zagging every which way as apparating to a destination (as Lucius Malfoy most likely had) left no exact uniform trail in time or space to follow.

"It doubled back!"

"Go! GO! I'll circle 'round!"

"Over that bluff!"

It went on like this for a solid hour; rain, confusion, darkness, and flying seventy miles-per-hour through the air. The flying team of aurors had been reduced to a number of six due to weather conditions, natural disasters, and fatigue. Several were on stand-by to take up the place of their fallen brethren and follow the eclectic path of the small creature. It was not an easy task, following a recently-reanimated wood sprite no larger than a snitch. It had none of its' natural inclinations but to follow the trail of invisible-residue which had been once part of its' being, and with a focus that intense, it made for a formidable ally.

"Do you see that?" one auror yelled to another.

"What?" she yelled back through the rain.

"Way off the horizon! That ruined castle!"

"Could that be--!"

At that very moment a red streak of light flew through the trees and knocked one of the aurors right off his broomstick to the cold ground where he lay unmoving.

"Shield! Everyone!" a scarred auror shouted as more bright strikes of light cut through the air, the now five aurors dodging spells as they followed the path of the sprite towards the castle at dangerous speeds. "Silver! Watch out!" he shouted as he kicked the side of the said auror's broom, knocking the witch into a terrible spin, but out of harm's way. "_Secan flammarit!_" he cursed, pointing his wand in the direction of the castle and the lookout who was hexing them. At breakneck speed they whizzed around it, following the path of the sprite, dodging curses and firing off their own. The lookout was engulfed in flame and magical fire, falling from his post to his utter ruin.

The little sprite took a sudden sharp turn straight up into the air directly above the ruin of the castle. The aurors followed it nearly to their deaths as it plummeted straight down, shattering its wooden body upon the stone of the roof in a splintering mass.

"_Cessarus momentum!_"

Three of the five aurors were stopped just in time from shattering their own brooms and bodies upon the castle. While the best of the flyers, these aurors were still new to their field. But they had served their purpose.

Hovering above the roof and ruin while being pelted with rain, they knew one thing for certain: Harry Potter was directly below them, right in the dead center of the mass of wood-sprite bits beginning to float away in a small stream of rainwater. They quickly flew the perimeter, finding only one other Death Eater, and doing away with him quickly. The rest of his followers must have fled inside, which meant they would be up against a formidable amount considering Voldemort had grown as powerful as they'd all believed.

They took quick bearing of where they were, finding the place to be Unplottable on any map. A wise move by Voldemort. Two aurors were sent off, one to fetch the members of The Order of the Phoenix, the other to inform Dumbledore personally. The rest stayed behind circling the ruin, testing it for weak spots. They didn't dare touch it- Voldemort wasn't so foolish as to leave the stones without some sort of magical barrier, and they were in no hurry to further warn the enemy that they were literally at his doorstep.

But they did know one thing at least, and that was that Harry was located somewhere within the walls directly beneath them. The question was how to get to him without alerting the Dark Lord, and they didn't have much time to find an answer.

---

Harry regained consciousness after being subjected to a variety of curses, both unforgivable and otherwise, and found himself strapped to a sort of slanted-table in a room of harsh stone. He couldn't move either his arms or legs, and his head was throbbing, his fingers itching with tampered magic.

He lolled his head to one side to see numerous Death Eaters standing about him- with and without masks- and on the other side he saw the Omnivieve glass, fully assembled on a pedestal covered in fine velvet. He tried to raise his head, but found it impossible. He felt weak. Incredibly weak. Had Snape's protective potions already worn off? How long had they cursed him for once he'd passed out ? More importantly, had they messed with his mind?

Dractnox…?

No reply came from the creatures overhead, dotted about the room with their unmoving amber eyes and shiftless forms. He figured as much. No doubt Voldemort was controlling them to some extent.

He searched the room as far as his eyes would allow him, and saw Draco against the far wall, watching him in turn. The blond haired boy met his eyes briefly, and then looked away as his father walked by with instructions for his son, sending him off elsewhere in preparation for the Dark Lord.

Harry caught site of Bellatrix Lestrange watching him, and she grinned as his eyes met hers. He just stared right back, not much else he could do if he wanted, as she took a step forward like an excited dog moving in for the kill.

Lucius Malfoy blocked her as he stepped in her way, speaking in tones Harry couldn't quite hear, nor words he could understand. He wasn't surprised by this. His brain was so addled by all the cursing that had been done unto him, his body still so sore, it was a wonder he was yet conscious. Lucius left Bellatrix after sneering in Harry's direction, and the mad woman in question came right up to the platform, looking down at Harry with an evil smile. She took his chin in her hand and gave it the kind of squeeze an annoying relative might. She grinned again and left him, even more confused than before and twice as worried.

Harry eyed the Omnivieve glass carefully. What in the hell was Voldemort up to exactly? The thing should be useless to him. It would destroy his evil, all evil about and connected to him, and that which was even minutely linked with his malice. Hadn't he realized that the first time he'd come in contact with it?

Harry's eyes rolled up into the back of his head, losing consciousness again as his skull throbbed, the room turning to black and silence around him.

---

"There is strength in light and good, and in the hearts of those we fight with and whom we'd fight for. You are the best of aurors and the dearest of friends. Tonight we make the end of Voldemort's reign, and the end of the suffering caused upon his behalf. I only ask that you go as far as you are willing, for tonight will not be without bloodshed."

Many wizards and witches were there listening to Dumbledore, rallied outside Hogwarts on the lawn of the castle. Some were old, and some- like Ron and Hermione- quite young. But they all served the same purpose, and that was to rescue Harry and once and for all do away with Voldemort.

Dumbledore regarded the faces before him, wondering how many he wouldn't see after tonight. He hated sending them to war, but he knew it had to be done- and for once they knew the exact hiding place of Voldemort's lair. And if his calculations and suspicions were correct, then Voldemort would not be running from them tonight. Tonight, Dumbledore suspected, he _wanted_ them to come and seek him.

He smiled at the group, and grasped his broom in hand in preparation to leave. The others followed his lead, and he grimly pushed off, following the auror who had come to fetch them. He only hoped that they'd get there in time to save Harry.

---

Harry slowly regained consciousness yet again, and this time he saw Draco, who was watching him from a corner of the room. He beckoned to him with a look, wanting his help, or for him to go get help.

Draco looked about the busy Death eaters, and approached Harry with a sneer. "Almost time now, Potter," he intoned, looking down at Harry. Harry frowned. They were going to do something to him soon, but he didn't know what.

"Draco, Draco, I would have thought you had had enough time to belittle this trash back at your little school," Bellatrix announced as she came up to Draco's side with a grin.

"Yes, aunt," Draco acknowledged as she gave Harry's face a squeeze.

"The Dark Lord is very pleased with you, Draco. And Lucius…I only wish I had sons to further glory the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix exclaimed almost ruefully. She squeezed Harry's face harder.

"Bella, the Dark Lord requested he not be spoiled," a deeper voice than Draco's addressed from behind in reference to her squeezing. It was obvious she wished to inflict a great amount of pain upon Harry, and only hoped the Dark Lord would give her some scraps.

"Yes yes, Lucius," she replied offhandedly, releasing Harry's face for the second time that evening. "Is everything is preparation? It must be perfect!"

Lucius nodded. "Go and summon the Dark Lord. It is near time." Bellatrix was off with excitement to fetch her beloved leader, and Lucius placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Very well done, Draco. After tonight you will be branded with His mark, and truly join the ranks of the superior wizarding order."

"Thank you, father," Draco said appreciatively. He moved to tighten the bonds on Harry's wrists, and Lucius nodded approvingly, going about his business and organizing the others. "I don't know what I can do…_He_ has your wand," Draco whispered to Harry as he bent to 'secure' his bindings. "There's no way I could possibly get it…We're too far in…"

"…get help…" Harry murmured.

"I can't…"

"Can't what, Draco?" Lucius asked from behind his son.

Draco nearly blanched, but tried to keep his cool. "I can't get these any tighter, father," Draco said as if frustrated at not being able to inflict more pain upon Harry.

Lucius smiled at his son. "That doesn't matter. It is time. Come and stand amongst your equals, son." He put his hand on Draco's shoulder and led him away from Harry's bound form.

Harry tried to tug at his straps, but it was no use. Draco hadn't loosened or tightened them. He noticed that the room went quiet, and that all the Death eaters were bowing.

Voldemort had entered the room, sans Bellatrix, and within his hand he held both his and Harry's wands. He approached the center of the room and Harry, with a smile on his snake-like face.

---

Dumbledore's forces were gathered outside the ruined castle, aurors and teachers alike, mulling over strategies to get inside. There were numerous and very powerful wards and enchantments placed upon the place, and so far no one had managed to penetrate Voldemort's stronghold.

"Albus, these charms are complex, even for me to dis-spell, and so far none of our people have been able to make past the gate there," McGonagall said in reference to an open, rusting gate hanging on its hinges.

Dumbledore himself stepped up to it, finding he was unable to enter, although he was able to undo a few of the nastier charms that enchanted the entrance and attempted harm on the intruder.

"I don't believe we can undo the charms from the outside, Minerva. It is made to be undone from the inside…"

"And how do we get in, Albus?" she asked, annoyed with this.

"Severus?" Dumbledore addressed, looking to the potions master who was warily standing with drawn wand. He didn't like being here at all, but knew everything he had been doing, every moment he'd spent as a double agent, had been brought to this. His mind was the most conflicted of everyone there.

"Headmaster," the dour-faced man said, walking up to Dumbledore.

"I believe this is a barrier one cannot enter unless they possess something the rest of us do not." He gave Snape a knowing look, and the potions master nodded, absentmindedly touching his forearm.

He approached the barrier with wand drawn, and easily walked right through it as if nothing stood in his way.

"Hey!" Ron shouted from somewhere behind Dumbledore. "How'd he--"

"Quiet, Ron," Hermione chastised. "His mark," she whispered knowingly, motioning to Snape.

Ron reddened a bit and frowned. "And what's he doing, then?"

Dumbledore proceeded carefully towards the barrier, and passed through it; Snape had disabled it successfully.

Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt- two of the Order members called upon to fight- joined Dumbledore's side.

"That was easy," Tonks remarked, looking about skeptically with drawn wand.

"Too easy," Shacklebolt noted, observing Snape who stood scowling. "You'd think they'd at least have some-"

He stopped mid-sentence, pushing Tonks down and dodging a curse. Dumbledore deflected it before it could harm any aurors behind them. Wands out and ready, the aurors went into a wary formation, looking about for an ambush.

A squat Death eater stepped out slowly from deeper within the keep, his mask and hood up as he addressed Dumbledore.

"'Allo Dumby."

"Amycus, is that you?" Dumbledore asked politely.

The squat Death eater giggled to himself before firing off a curse at Dumbledore. He shielded himself easily enough, and regarded the man with interest.

"Tell me Amycus, where is your master? Where is Harry Potter?"

"Oh no, Dumby, you won't get me with legilimens…_avada kedavra_!"

Before the curse entirely left his mouth, the Death Eater was hit with more than a dozen curses fired off by the aurors. The killing curse which he had performed had not hit its intended target, but instead had been veered off course as a consequence of his being cursed himself, and it hit one who wasn't quick enough to dodge it.

As if a signal flare had been fired, several Death Eaters appeared out of nowhere, curses were immediately fired, and the battle had begun. Flashes of red, green, and yellow light filled the air, curses soaring overhead like eerie fireworks.

Some Death Eaters had their masks on, others had fallen, revealing the identities within, and still more seemed to come. Although Dumbledore's forces far outnumbered that which they were currently fighting, they weren't attempting to just murder them, although when it came to defending one's self, certain measures had to be taken (Dumbledore wanted justice done, but done correctly).

"Watch out Ron!" Hermione shouted, pulling him down to the ground and shouting _protego_! They were momentarily shielded, and she fired off her own spell from the safety of the shield "_Expelliarmus!_"

"Advance!" someone shouted, rushing the gates and advancing through, attempting to further penetrate the keep.

"Snape!" someone shouted at the potions master. He turned, and took a curse in the chest by one of the Death Eaters. "You blood traitor!" she screamed emphatically.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Hermione shouted, pointing her wand in the direction of the Death Eater standing over Snape.

Bellatrix Lestrange looked at Hermione with a sadistic grin as she went for her own wand. Snape was on the ground having trouble breathing, but Bellatrix momentarily forgot him and went for Hermione instead.

"Crucio! Crucio!" she shouted as Hermione dodged her spells, running behind a column. "Come out come out little girl!" she called as she stalked her quarry. Hermione peeked her head around the corner as curses flew back and forth. "_Crucio!_"

" she shouted as Hermione dodged her spells, running behind a column. "Come out come out little girl!" she called as she stalked her quarry. Hermione peeked her head around the corner as curses flew back and forth. "" 

She ducked back, feeling the curse fly right past her cheek.

"_Petrificus totalus!_" Ron shouted from behind Bellatrix. She seized up, falling to the ground, stiff, attempting to throw off the curse. "_Expelliarmus!_" Her wand once again went flying.

Tonks was having her own battle further inside the castle's keep. She was boxed in between stone, and firing off curse after curse at the Death Eaters who seemed to be not in short stock.

"_Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus!_" Dumbledore came to her aid, unarming and knocking out several of the Death Eaters with whom she'd been under fire.

"Advance! Advance!" came the voice again.

Snape himself joined back in on the fight, having gotten his second wind and recovered from the most severe shocks of Bellatrix's curse. He quickly healed his own wounds, quickly cursing Bellatrix as she struggled free from Ron's curse.

"_Accio_ wand!" Ron commanded, taking Bellatrix's wand and snapping it in two. She shrieked in fury, fighting even more to get free. Snape quickly bound her to a column with ropes a sticking charm, and ordered Ron and Hermione out of sight as they rushed the castle keep, further penetrating it's thick outer defenses and the legion of Death Eaters awaiting them.

---

Voldemort slowly slinked to the middle of the platform on which Harry was bound, smiling wickedly.

Harry's scar burned terribly, only adding to his frustration and resentment. Voldemort looked at him smugly, examining him, and Harry only glared back, his mind a mass of uncertainty and terrible ire.

He looked upon his loyal Death Eaters, and commended them for serving him thus far, but he would wait no longer.

"It is the time, my loyal friends, to bring about the end to a new beginning, and the ultimate destruction of the one they call The Boy Who Lived; the one who has for so long been the bane of my existence, and the very end of which will be my rise to true power."

He grinned at Harry, and in that look, Harry knew that a very real end was somehow upon him, something he couldn't control, and no matter how hard he wished it, he realized none were going to come for him.

---

"_Expelliarmus!_"

"_Crucio!_"

"_Avada kedavra!_"

Curses were flying back and forth through the air, aurors and Death Eaters alike going down, and still they fought their way deeper into the castle, fighting hard as time was of the essence, knowing that the enchantments and potions which Harry had been under the protection of were already waning if not totally gone.

Hrmione rushed around a corner, breathing heavily, narrowly missing a curse. A dark hooded figure raised their wand toward Dumbledore, and she cried out a curse, hitting him straight in the chest. He went down and the hood flew back, revealing it to be none other than Draco; the very person Harry had sworn was on their side.

She darted to him in anger, raising her wand and firing to disarm him, only he shielded himself quicker.

"Wait!" he shouted at her. "Potter! Inside!" he cried out with wide, terrified eyes.

"Where!" she shouted back, shielding herself as a stray curse nearly hit her.

"Dumbledore, where's Dumbledore?"

"Where is Harry!"

"Get me to Dumbledore!"

Hermione looked out over the cold scene, looking for the form of the tall old wizard. Instead she saw Snape, and he didn't look too good, but he was at least as good as Dumbledore.

"Professor!" Draco called out, trying to get the dark man's attention. He looked in their direction just as Hermione caught sight of Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore!" she called out, but was hit with a curse in the back. She let out a shriek as she fell onto Draco, deep slashes in her back.

Many curses and darting later, and Dumbledore and Snape were both at their side. Hermione's cuts were deep, but Snape was able to heal them quickly.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked, his own face covered in scratches and dirt. He took Hermione and helped keep her steady. She was weak.

"Potter!" Draco cried out. "Potter!"

"Where, Draco, where!" Snape asked quickly, shaking the boy.

Tonks and Shacklebolt arrived on scene, looking a little worse for wear. "There's still quite a battle going on outside, but Mad-Eye reckons it's nothing we can't handle," Tonks informed Dumbledore, panting.

"How many more are there?" Shacklebolt asked, looking very anxious and rather put-off.

"Draco, where is Harry?" Dumbledore asked, looking the blond boy in his eyes.

He regarded them all with fear and anxiety, but allowed Dumbledore access to all he knew.

---

Voldemort smiled grimly, placing Harry's wand on one side of the boy, his own on the other. He cast a glance at the Omnivieve Glass, and knew that he had precious moments to spare. Extending his hand to it's full size, he clamped it down upon the glass.

In placing his hand upon it, however, Voldemort felt a surge of pain shoot straight through his body, the glass glowing in surged brightness. He kept his palm there, and felt himself dissipating from within, whatever was left of his soul being pulled from his very cells.

Slowly, Voldemort was being drawn out of his body, his spirit swirling up and about him like so much steam. The Death Eaters watched not without amazement as the steam-like replica of their dark lord began to swirl overhead. A wave of his wand with hand on the Omnivieve glass, Voldemort's spirit took a quick turn, directing itself towards Harry's body and engulfing it in the steam-like mist. Harry held his breath, but it didn't matter. He felt Voldemort's being saturating his own through his very skin, his body rebelling against it even as he began to take hold

"The rise of a new world order is about to begin, my loyal Death Eaters. A secret beginning to the dawn of a new age," Voldemort hissed out as if from two places- the steam, as well as his voice. He pointed his wand at his hand and murmured "_esclicier"_ as a thin line of crimson appeared on it. "You have served the dark ways well, and now the ultimate sacrifice must be paid for this new age to come forth." Lucius smirked in enjoyment, glad the Potter brat was finally getting what was coming to him. And where was Bellatrix? Surely she wouldn't miss this for all the world…"Sadly," Voldemort continued, his hand hovering over the glass, "none of you will be there to enjoy it."

Confused faces regarded their Dark Lord as he slammed his bleeding hand down upon the Glass, blood smearing over the surface as the glass began to glow brilliantly.

Voldemort doubled over in pain as his weak body began to die, his spirit leaving it and entering Harry's as the Omnivieve glass began to completely destroy the linked evil. Death Eaters began to drop over while others watched in horror at the display, feeling a draining effect upon themselves from their dark marks, before succumbing to pain upon the ground.

"My Lord, what is this!" Lucius demanded as he too fell to his knees in pain, feeling some part of him being ripped from his very being.

"So naive, Lucius," Voldemort hissed, watching his bent-over follower fall to his knees. "Do you believe I would let creatures like you live to testify of what has transpired here? With none alive, there will be no spies left to filter out, none to pester me in my rise to the top. No one would dare suspect the Boy who Lived, and none shall live whom know the truth."

Lucius looked horrified beyond belief, grasping his arm in pain and betrayed shock as he tried to make his way out of the room and disapparate to some safe location. But there would be none for him. His link through the Dark Mark to the Dark Lord would follow him anywhere, utterly destroying him with the blood-magic upon the Omnivieve glass. There was nothing he could do but lay there upon the floor, his movements becoming smaller, weaker, as his life was snuffed out by the power of the Omnivieve glass.

---

Bellatrix let out a shriek of pain from her location secured to the column. She struggled hard to get free as the aurors stared at her. The other Death Eaters were letting out similar shrieks of pain, some dropping to their knees, stopping the fight with Dumbledore's army.

Snape was doubled over in pain outside the castle door himself, the other side containing Harry as per Draco's information. Some of the Death Eater's were fighting it, but dropping to their knees in pure life-draining pain.

"What's happening?" Tonks asked, looking about with confusion. "What's happening to them?"

"Severus? Are you alright?" McGonagall asked, looking at Snape with concern.

"The Devil woman, I'm not alright!" he shouted, dropping to the floor, unable to hold himself up.

Dumbledore stopped his inspection of the heavily warded door and approached Snape with concern. He looked him over speculatively as Snape further collapsed to the floor. "My boy?" Snape didn't answer, but Dumbledore could feel it. "He's dying. They all are."

"What?"

"What do you mean, they?" Tonks asked, looking worried.

"Voldemort must somehow be utilizing the Omnivieve Glass. Every person branded with his mark is dying…"

"Can we stop it?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Perhaps…a sharing of energy might keep him alight long enough for us to get inside," Dumbledore responded.

"I'll do it," Shacklebolt volunteered. "You need to get us inside. I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" McGonagall asked, looking at the auror with uncertainty.

"Yes, hurry, we don't have much time," he agreed, knowing that whatever was happening in there, surely Harry didn't have much time left himself.

---

Harry could feel himself being drawn out of his body, the steam of Voldemort being drawn in.

He was still frozen in place on the platform, body bound, but his mind and essence swimming with the dractnoxes midair, being drawn from it slowly as watching with horror what was happening to his body. _Isn't there anything I can do!_

The last Death Eater in the room dropped to his knees in pain as Harry watched with horror as the weak shell of Voldemort's body began to clumsily undo a binding at Harry's body's foot and left hand.

Harry tried desperately to get back in his body; wished it, willed it, prayed it, tried to force it, but it wouldn't receive him again. The ceremony was almost complete as the glass glowed less and less, it's inner golden light fading slowly as Voldemort's body became slack, hung over and slowly sliding to rest on the floor, too weak to undo any more bounds. Harry's body didn't move, and it sickened his spirit to know that somewhere in there that vile worm was taking refuge. The pounding on the door grew greater and greater, and with a great blast it flew open right off its hinges. Order members rushed in armed and ready, wands raised in battle-ready confusion upon seeing the body-littered ground. Mad-Eye Moody himself approached one cautiously and kicked it with his foot. The body didn't move, and he gave a satisfactory snort.

"Dead. All dead."

Dumbledore, however, was not interested in the bodies he knew to be dead, or the ones which were still dying. His interest lay in the one dying body laying on the floor next to a bound Harry Potter.

He remained motionless whilst deciding what he should do. The Omnivieve Glass was there, glowing only slightly, a testament to the fact that they had a very sick and almost-dead potions master outside the door, hanging on by barely a thread with Kingsley Shacklebolt's sharing of his life-energy. Snape's own energy was leaving him with the waning of the light of the glass.

Dumbledore approached it cautiously and moved his hand about it, sensing. He lifted the glass from its place and cleaned the blood off with a handkerchief, wiping the glass clean and pocketing the stained cloth. It's glowing ceased. Snape went completely limp against Shacklebolt, the auror becoming quite alarmed.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled upon seeing Harry's bound body.

"Don't tell me he up and had a heart-attack," Tonks said from behind Dumbledore, watching the same limp shell that was Voldemort. She took a step closer to His body, and Dumbledore held out a restraining arm

"Snakes die from the tail up, my dear. Stay back." He, however, approached cautiously as the others had their wands trained on the body in question.

"Professor Dumbledore...Harry's alright, isn't he!" Ron asked, stationed behind several aurors as he was known to do foolish things without thinking.

"He's not dead," Hermione stated to the thought in everyone's minds, perking up and making Ron let go of her.

Dumbledore regarded the form of Tom Riddle and tried to draw conclusions. His body was dead. He knew it, could smell it, sense the death of unnatural long life and absence of magical auras. This was a shell; a snakeskin. Nothing was left in this body, but how?

He looked at Harry, the young man who upon several occasions had defeated the Dark Lord unprecedented by others. He wasn't dead. Unconscious, yes, but two of his bounds were undone. Had he tried to escape?

He regarded the Omnivieve Glass once more, seizing the thing and putting it in his robes for safe-keeping. He laid a hand upon Harry's forehead to see if he could reach him. He didn't get anything at all. "Harry?"

I'm here! Right here! he screamed to deaf ears. _Can't you do anything!_ he asked the Dractnox. _You must stop this! Return me to my body!_

he screamed to deaf ears. he asked the Dractnox. 

"Thisss cannot yet be done...You are Dractnox and Dractnox are you..."

"Professor Dumbledore, is Harry alright?" Hermione asked, weak with fear and exhaustion.

Dumbledore stood closer to Harry for inspection, deciding if it was safe or not to move him. He had a good guess what Harry had gone through, but wasn't sure of the best course of action. But making his choice, whether he was wrong or not, he moved to the straps.

"That means he's okay, right--? Hey! What are you doing!" Ron shouted from the back. "Let him _go_!"

Dumbledore fastened the last arm strap back on, holding Harry's body still as he observed him for several more moments. He put his hand to Harry's head once more and murmured a spell, trying to get him to regain consciousness. Slowly, those green eyes opened and looked confusedly about the room, mind-addled and bewildered.

"How do you feel, my boy?" Dumbledore asked in a bland tone.

Those green eyes changed mildly, a change that would go unnoticed to most others, but was as pronounced as a scream to Dumbledore.

"I feel a little dizzy, but I'm alright." He tried to move his arms, but found he was still bound.

"Harry! Are you alright!" Hermione asked from across the room.

"I'm alright, but could you let me off this thing, please?" he replied, looking to Dumbledore. "These clasps hurt."

The voice sounded so very much like Harry. Tone, inflection, the bright look in those green eyes. Had he imagined what he'd seen? He looked into those eyes closely while Harry smiled expectantly. Dumbledore touched Harry's arm and unmistakably, a gleam of shadow passed over those eyes.

Here! I'm right here!

"Be gone from this boy!" Dumbledore commanded in an impending tone.

"Albus, what are you doing!" McGonagall asked with incomprehension.

"What are you talking about? Professor, please. I'm right here. Let me up. I want to go home, now," Harry's voice pleaded.

"Leave him at once!" Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry's forehead and Hermione grabbed his arm.

"Sir, please don't!"

Hermione was grabbed off of Dumbledore and restrained by Tonks, who looked both confused and worried.

"Let me go!" Ron shouted angrily as he, too, was restrained by several aurors.

This can't be happening! I'm right HERE! HERE! He tried to go back to his body, but just passed through it once. _Do SOMETHING!_ he commanded the Dractnoxes. _I want back in my body!_

He tried to go back to his body, but just passed through it once. he commanded the Dractnoxes. 

"That can be arranged..."

At once Harry saw the Dractnoxes swirling about above him, engulfing him, drawing him into their midst as he became one with them, and was plummeting towards his body with rapid speed. And suddenly, the room was gone, Dumbledore was gone, and all light disappeared.

Where am I now?

Suddenly Dumbledore was before him once more before being momentarily closed out by blackness. He was back in his body, looking at Dumbledore through his own eyes, but suddenly blackness closed on Dumbledore, and then he was before Harry's eyes again.

Blinking. It was Harry's involuntary blinking being controlled by another, and while he saw out the eyes, he didn't control where they looked.

He tried to speak, his body lurching and face showing an expression of surprise as his eyes looked quickly about the room. To Dumbledore, it was proof that Harry's body housed more than just one entity.

"I'm here," he tried to say, but it ended up coming out "M-meer."

"Release him," Dumbledore commanded as Harry's sight of the elderly wizard diminished, but he had control of his speech.

"Dumbledore He's in here! Get Him out!" Harry quickly shouted, anger rising in him for the fact that something else was using his body, sneaking about in there and he couldn't even find the source; the place where Voldemort was rooting himself to Harry's essence.

His sight returned as a smile not made by his will curved lips that spoke without his accord.

"This body is mine. There will soon be nothing left of the boy you once knew," Harry's voice said. It sounded so strange to Harry, to hear his own voice and feel the words being said but not being the one doing it. It made him angry, and he dug deep within his mind, trying to feel where He was hiding; where He was controlling.

"Leave him at once. You are finished, Tom. It's over. Leave Harry's body and let justice be done on you." They were commands, not requests, and everyone in the room was in silent horror.

"You're a fool, Dumbledore. You'll have to kill me before I leave this body willingly."

Harry hoped that if he couldn't force Voldemort from his body, if the task was truly impossible, then he hoped that Dumbledore would do it. He'd rather be dead than have this vile putrid waste living the rest of Harry's natural life in his body, regardless if he could leave it or not.

Where is he?

"Behind your mind'sss eye...your magical core..."

A spark of wild hope lit within Harry as he ignored the vile words pouring from his own voice, the verbal sparring between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

You're in here with me, aren't you?

"Yesss...We arrre everywhere..."

He isn't able to block me out anymore!

"He hasss no control...He ssspeaksss not to usss...You may ssspeak to usss…"

Tell me where to find Him.

"He isss behind your mind'sss eye..."

Where is that?

"Deep within you...trying to meld with your core and become inssseparable..."

I want him out! Show me the way! Force this unnatural thing out for good!

He felt a great pull inside, like he was being stretched too thinly over too great a distance. Something twinged against him, like a silk thread alerting the spider of intruders to its web. Immediately he felt himself being pulled towards it where a great feeling of sickness and nausea overwhelmed his very spirit. He felt something painful pulling at him, trying to disperse his spirit like dye in water. He fought it with all his might.

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

I WILL have this body, Potter!

To those watching Harry's restrained body, it seemed he was having a yelling match with himself, body twitching and writhing like one possessed, which he rightly was. Physically, he was unaware of every one and thing around him, but mentally, he felt the pain Voldemort was inflicting upon him, trying to force his spirit from his own body, destroy all rightful attachment, and he could sense the Dractnoxes nearby, as if they were with him waiting to be called upon.

He summoned them, begged them, pulled them to him for help as he felt his spirit becoming weaker as he was loosened from its link to his core and his claim to his body, and Voldemort established himself deeper to its heart.

The Dractnoxes came to his aid without a word as he felt himself becoming larger and stronger, drawing strength from the creatures as he fought with all his will against Voldemort's presence.

A great pain seized him as he inflicted more damage upon Voldemort, shredding the parasite embedded within, and he screamed, and he knew Voldemort was screaming too. He felt himself being ripped from his body, dissipating like so much steam, and knew that the same thing was happening to Voldemort.

The onlookers didn't know what to do. Harry's body gave several jerks as his pain-filled voice reverberated through the room. Then all went silent. His screaming ceased, his body stopped moving and fell limp to the board, eyes open in system-shock.

Nobody moved. Dumbledore regarded Harry's slack form, knowing that he was yet breathing, but it was all but impossible to tell if one went by only sight.

"Is he…?" Ron's voice trailed off.

"Dumbledore, please..." Hermione pled with a withheld sob. "Un-bind him..."

Dumbledore moved across the floor to Harry's body, and put a hand on his forehead, trying to sense if Harry was still in there on not. His green eyes didn't follow Dumbledore's hand, nor did they contain the light that usually looked out from within them.

"I cannot sense Harry's spirit…" Dumbledore started slowly, eyes trained on Harry's still face. "…nor the presence of Voldemort."

Hermione released a sob as several aurors gasped with shock. Dumbledore unbound Harry and gathered him in his arms.

"Where are you taking him?" Ron accused, following Dumbledore in his wake.

"St. Mungo's...along with our other wounded."

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood as Dumbledore walked past him, and put Snape's arm around his shoulder, hefting him to a standing position as others grabbed their wounded and several remained with the dead. They apparated from the site of destruction to the very doors of St. Mungo's, depositing the wounded aurors and other witches and wizards into the hands of the healers. There was still a lot of work left to do back at the ruined battlefield.

Only when Hermione and Ron showed up at the door to Harry's own room did Dumbledore leave. He warned them that their friend would never be the same, motioning to the green-eyed brown-haired boy who lay in the bed unmoving, breathing and watching with unseeing eyes, but not there.

Hermione and Ron both shed silent tears. Dumbledore told them to talk to Harry, to stay with him while they could. No, he didn't know what was going to become of the boy who lived, but for now, as what was left of Harry was safe, Dumbledore had grave business to attend to, and he wouldn't receive a rest well until three days later.

-----

Well from what we know about horcruxes and the like, let's just pretend there's an easier answer to killing off old Moldy-shorts and actually having a happy ending, yeah? And for those who haven't yet read Half Blood Prince…well, let me just say I'm ever so sorry, and hopefully this will be some consolation haha…oh well…I wanted to go out in crazy flaming glory, but yeah, this will have to do just as well;) lol. I think one more chap to wrap things up and we'll be set;) Happy New Year!

And to some wonderfully patient muggles:

Lady Foxfire: Was this longer? Haha, I'm so awful.

Cornuthaum: Haha, that certainly wasn't fast nor furious:P hahaha, I'm so terrible, really:P

S.S.I: I'm a horrid liar, according to everything I promised last time with everyone:P hahaha, there will be one more chap, I think an epilogue, and then I will have one finished fic FINALLY! Hahaha…Oh I'm awful. I still have to write the next chap for A Pirate's Life Indeed. It's a rather involved chap, so it's gonna take a while:D And I'm just absolutely horrid, but I've been writing my butt off the past week to get everything ready for New Years…yargh I'm tired:P btw, how was your green day concert May 7th? Lol

Bujiana: To say I'm lazy is the biggest understatement of the year:P haha, let's just call it writer's block:P Here's to a longer chap, and one more for good measure…goodness it's been a bloody long time, but thanks for everything and all your support:D

FlyingPixie: Okay, I lied, one more chap to go:P haha, oh I'm awful…

divine thing: I hope this was thorough enough. I'm tired and just did up the finishing touches…yargh what a write:P lol, thanks for stickin' with me, and hopefully some of your questions (if even you can remember what was going on…I sure as heck can't:P) were answered:P

RainStoem666: Thanks so much for reading, hopefully I haven't lost you for good:P lol. Harry can converse with the Dractnox with both his mind and just with normal speech….but then it just makes everyone think he's weird:P lol Thanks so much!

Teesta: thanks so much!

Omega-I: well, one more chap;)

TheBonnie: haha, yeah, I've been forever:P

Morough: Ha, I hope we even remember what's been going on:P Glad to see you've got a username:D

Shion20: Hope that answered your little question;)

Brittany: Hope you got what you expected;) lol

Neha: heh heh, yeah, that was a favourite for all;)


	30. Epilogue: Renewal

Personally, I think I'm quite ridiculous. Last chapter was updated just after Half Blood Prince came out, and here I am, once again updating this story, and for the very last time, after Deathly Hallows came out. I really have a problem with updating, I think. Ha ha. Two years wait. Better late than never. Hope this epilogue-ic ending isn't too anticlimactic. Argh. Reviews are always appreciated : )

-_FireV_.

Chapter 30: Epilogue: Renewal

-----

Hermione sat to the left of the hospital bed in Harry's room at St. Mungo's, Ron to the right. They were playing a three-way game of cards, ignorant of the fact that Harry was still fully unresponsive weeks later, his green eyes unopened for what was deemed would be an indefinite amount of time.

"Hm. Rotten luck, mate, you lose again. What do you owe me now? I think it's at…fifty sickels?" Ron spoke to deaf ears as he looked at the boy's cards, discarding them for a new hand.

"Yes, but you've already lost seventy-three," Hermione pointed out, taking the discarded cards and shuffling them. "And that's just from this week."

Ron huffed, flushing crimson. "Just gimme my cards, 'Mione."

She dealt the cards, putting Harry's in his limp hand. "Hm. I think you should fold, Ron."

"What? We haven't even bet yet."

"Just fold."

"I think I can take him…" He placed his cards out on the sheet. "Read 'em and weep!" he said triumphantly, and picked them up to wave them around gloatingly in her face. She rolled her eyes and showed him Harry's hand. "Bollocks!" he shouted, flinging them to the bed with a mopey glower.

"Have you lost your home to Potter yet, Weasley?" a voice full of exaggerated disdain asked.

Hermione looked up, and offered a smile. "Hello Draco. Professor Snape." Draco smirked and came into the room, sitting down at the end of the bed, Hermione dealing him in to their game while Ron muttered under his breath about his recent winning streak.

Draco seemed to be around Snape a lot these days. The Head of Slytherin was the only person he had been as close to as his father, and with the demise of the latter in what the wizarding world had dubbed Voldemort's Last Stand, Snape was the man Draco had latched onto as a role-model. What was more surprising, Snape had put up with it admirably.

Snape himself visited often. Dumbledore had worked as hard as he could with innumerable ideas and tried until Severus finally declared no more. The damage the Omnivieve Glass had inflicted upon the potion master's body was much irreversible, though he was at least alive. Glass wiped clean, the semi-fatal attempts to destroy it -if not somehow alter it's effects- had helped not, and his life-force was constantly on the wane and would be for the rest of his natural life. For the rest of his life, the dour Head of Slytherin would be dependent upon life-energy transfusions. It was the best Dumbledore could do, working feverishly to try and save the man, but he was now dependent upon others in order for him to survive.

For the first few weeks, it had been constant-connection and mutual sharing of another's energy, but now Snape could go nearly a week before his own energy was threatened with being snuffed out. And though he had declared utter hatred for the idea at the time when they had been off the battlefield only a few days, Dumbledore suspected the close-quarters the man had been forced to share with the auror and energy-supplier Kingsley Shacklebolt had produced him a lifelong friend, a true privilege the potions master had never really allowed himself. Now that he wasn't dependent and attached to the auror like a parasitic energy-sucking creature, he rather enjoyed chatting with the man. He just had to visit St. Mungos once a week to rejuvenate his life force from whomever was available. But his life would never be solitary again, whether he wanted it to be or not. Things had changed drastically in the world since then.

"Potter. Just as lazy as ever," Snape began some of his usual derisive remarks aimed at Harry's listless form. "He hasn't a chance of ever reaching a graduation with the amount of schoolwork he's already allowed to pile up."

"He'll graduate," Ron said stubbornly. "We have a few more years yet," he pointed out in just as snarky a tone. He looked at Hermione, who was glowering at him. "To catch up," he added gruffly. He was in added bad spirits since he'd just lost the latest hand to Draco.

"Weasley, you'll be lucky to reach a graduation to the next _grade_ with the marks you've been receiving. It's a true wonder that Potter here is making better marks than you," Draco remarked thoughtfully to Ron with a wry smirk. Ron flushed up to his ears. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"And you, Miss Granger. Don't even _think_ of doing his schoolwork _for _him," Snape added with snarky contempt, looking straight at Hermione with intimidation. He was referring to the red-haired boy opposite her.

"I won't," she replied courtly, looking right at Snape with utmost sincerity. "Actually, I believe Ron's been copying off of _Harry_ lately, sir."

Draco snickered, Ron flushed even redder, and Snape looked at them like they were easily-crushable bugs. "Five points from Gryffindor, Potter, for being an indolent waste of valuable space. And another five from each of you, for contributing to the disgusting state of this room." He was commenting on the sheer volume of flowers, cards, well-wishing parcels, and other assorted things well-crammed into whatever space was available in the wing; all items from well-wishers and supporters of the defeater of the Dark Lord. They'd had to shrink several of the things in order to make room for the outpouring of gifts from supporters, well-wishers, and general goodness and gratitude from the wizarding world. Flowers were replaced daily for all the more that still poured in.

The man in black robes turned on his heel and swept from the room, no doubt in pursuit of his energy-transfusion for the week.

"…Bugger…" Ron muttered under his breath.

"Is he alright, Draco? He seemed awfully pale today," Hermione commented, ignoring Snape's not-so-new habit of randomly taking points from them, dealing another hand blithely.

"He hasn't had his transfusion yet," the blond-haired boy informed sadly. "He's been going longer and longer without them, but I don't know…"

"I'd think Harry would get a kick out of that…" Ron said nonchalantly while arranging his cards in his hand. Hermione looked shocked, but he then added, "You know. The first years all still think Snape's some sort of vampire." He looked up with a grin, and saw a slight smirk on Draco's own face. "_We _certainly thought so at one point, and now…well…he sorta is one now, isn't he? In a dodgy way."

Draco snickered. Hermione snorted in chastisement. "That's not nice, Ron."

"Weasley, I think for once in our lives, we finally have something we can agree on," Draco said with a wide-smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Boys…!" She arranged Harry's cards in his limp hand for him, and looked at her own.

"He's not as…gloomy anymore," Draco remarked in contemplation of Snape. That in itself was a small wonder, not to mention that Draco could differentiate the moods of the seemingly ever-dour man.

"How can anyone be? Voldemort's finally gone-- _Ron, so help me Godric if you shudder at that name one more time_…." Hermione threatened. "And he's not coming back. Dumbledore said he's fully and wholly gone. He'll _never_ be back. This world is finally at peace. We're all free."

"Everyone's so happy-"

"And relieved," Hermione interjected, though it was dampered by the fact that Harry still remained motionless beside them. She re-dealt the cards.

"Mum says it wasn't like this since she was in school," Ron continued. "And now with the dark mark disappeared, and the Death Eater's all gone--" He was shushed by Hermione. She looked at him as if he were an idiot. He frowned at her, but he made the realization in his head, and he looked down, heat flushing to his face over mentioning dead Death Eaters in front of Draco.

The blond boy didn't say anything, but looked at his cards in skepticism. They were quite a few minutes with their thoughts. Draco broke the silence. "Well I've got nothing," he told them, showing his cards. Ron came out winner once more, and Hermione dealt again. She arranged Harry's cards in his unresponsive hand. It had been so long since the last time they'd seen him animated and lively. Laughed and joked and teased one another…And he'd been through so very much. It wasn't fair that it had ended this way. It wasn't fair that they hadn't gotten to help him.

"Do you think things will stay like this?" Ron asked. Hermione looked dolefully at Harry. Draco was doing the same thing. Ron continued his original thought as he had refused long ago for them to make any remarks that Harry might stay the way he was. "I mean, with the Ministry and everything…They've issued pardons and apologies to so many of the real heroes, and things haven't been so excited in years and years. No one has to hide or be scared anymore…but will the wizarding world ever go back to the way it was?" Draco looked pensive, but Hermione brought his ponderings down to earth.

"There will always be people with ideals like the Death Eaters, Ron," Hermione told him contritely. He frowned, but she looked hopeful. "Voldemort is gone, and for good. But after everything dies down, who knows? I bet Dumbledore will set things straight so this can never happen again. Things will change. Our world will be rebuilt for the better."

Ron sighed and looked dolefully at his cards. "Give me another two, Hermione."

"…got any three's?" a gruff rasp of a voice asked. Ron jumped in fright, Hermione's hands were at her mouth, and Draco nearly fell off the back of the bed from shock, his cards sent flying.

"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked, shaking with astonishment as she grabbed him about the middle, squishing him in a hug. He was soon ensconced in a hug-cocoon as Ron joined in, hugging and pummeling in affection and relief, the two of them crying happy tears as Harry coughed and muttered about 'laying off'.

Draco was at the door of the room, his head poked out the frame of the suite trying to make coherent sentences to get anyone's attention. "He's--_uh_! --I! _Come 'ere_!" he squawked out, motioning like crazy to a healer who gave him a quizzical look before he quickly ducked back into the room, staring for a moment with unbelievable astonishment before he got closer to the bed, feeling awkward as well as stunned. Was this really happening?

"…Dra-co?" Harry asked with dry throat, blinking with half-lidded eyes against the brightness, seeing the blond boy through a haze of Hermione's kisses and Ron's hugs. Draco offered him a side-smile, and Harry smirked.

No unnecessary words passed between them, for really, there was nothing they could say that wasn't conveyed through their eyes and self-assured smirks. Everything was done, finished. The struggle was over. All the pain. He was back. They'd survived. They could finally rebuild their lives, homes, and families.

"Ron owes you near a fortune," Hermione pointed out with a teary smile at the playing cards laying about the bed.

Ron flushed straight to his hair, grinning with a mixture of happiness and sheepishness. "…oh shuddup Hermione…"

"Well really, Ron, if you had been playing more fairly…."

Their familiar squabbling drifted away in Harry's ears as he and Draco just smirked at one another with triumphant, relieved smiles. Harry was surprised they'd survived it at all; that the normality that had been stolen from them was apparently restored.

Harry could no longer see the Dractnox creatures, and his mind felt clearer than he ever remembered it being. He could recall what had happened in the keep of the Death Eaters, but he didn't know how he'd ended up here, surrounded by friends and a room full of flowers. He was surprised that they were here today, alive, and moreover, he was surprised that everything must have turned out alright. The usual squabbling of his friends told him that much. He'd woken up in a very different world than the one he had passed through in darkness.

"We beat him," Harry posed to Draco as Hermione and Ron continued their squabbling over his person, momentarily forgetting him as each tried to press their unimportant point upon the other.

Draco nodded to Harry with quiet dignity. Though it had cost them a lot, they had finally beaten the Dark Lord for good. Lives had been sacrificed so others could be saved. They were all lucky.

Harry smiled as Ron's voice escalated in pitch the same as Hermione's. Things _were_ getting back to normal. "It couldn't have been done without you, Draco," Harry rasped, his voice amazingly clear above that of Ron and Hermione's. The other boy smirked as Harry beckoned him to his bedside to be with his friends, and in the moment in which they actually hugged one another with triumph and relief, Ron went silent with stun and Hermione burst into happy tears with the air of friendship about them. She hugged both boys, and gave Ron a smack as he was a bit lost in the moment, confused as to when exactly Draco had interrupted his argument with Hermione right in front of him, and why hadn't he noticed? Hermione rapped him on the back and forced him into their hug, and they were all smiles and tears and relief and joy.

No, the wizarding world wasn't the same as it had once been. This time it would be far, far better.

----

I considered, while reading back to when I first started this, that this fic has some rather _very_ slashy undertones, which made me laugh because it was not intended that way (blame the naïve mind of a greenhorn writer) but hell, if you liked reading it that way, then by all means, I hope you enjoyed. Ha, because boy, the slashy undertones are ever-so-hard to ignore. What fun! Haha. They're just very good friends (wink wink, for those who like that kind of thing. Hee hee).

I certainly hope all your questions and thoughts and wonderings while reading have been sufficiently addressed and all that fun stuff! If there's anything you want to be more clear on, by all means, send a note my way! I always appreciate reviews and I always get back to people via any way possible! Mwah! I appreciate reviews, no matter how late along, no matter when this story was read, and no matter what condition in.

And I would personally like to thank everyone who ever read, reviewed, and wrote me. This was my first fanfic, way back when it started, and it encouraged me to do the many others I have since written/am writing. You were all a part of the growing experience, and I thank you all for everything! (Especially your time and patience, hahaha). Mwah!

-FireValkyrie.

Thanks to everyone who ever read/reviwed, and now To some very-longly awaited loves of mine:

reading-rider: Well, this is long, _long_ awaited, but i appreciate that you'd stuck with me through everything, and all that fun stuff! Thanks a bunch!

dj-cam: Thanks for that, i'll be looking into it whenever i get around to re-doing the story for grammar's sake and such! haha. And thank you much! it's been years, but i've finally closed this sucker!

Bujiana: haha no no, happy, happy ending XD haha Though i do enjoy jerking people around :D Thanks for everything my love! Mwah:D

Mecrsenary: Thank you!!

divinething: Oh you know i wouldn't make you sad ;) hee hee. Hope this satisfied! I'm a bit of an ass for taking so utterly utterly long, but yeah, i've never finished anything in my life, so here we go :D

phoebe turner: Thanks my dear! woot.

Becky Yuy: Thankies! Now we're officially wrapped up and done :D yay!

Cynthia1850: Haha thank you by way of bribery! And we're finally done:D hahah so it's okay, cuz _now_ it's complete! Woo, haha though it took freakin forever. Oh well. I'm not known for my excellent updatery! lol. Thank you so much! Woot.


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